Together Again
by Queen Of Cliffhangers
Summary: *TRASHED* After he is kicked out of the only home he can remember, Harry returns to Hogwarts for his fifth school year. Even with new students from different schools and countries,it seems like everything is normal...or is it?
1. Chapter One: Birth and Death

Chapter One – Birth and Death

            Harry set down his quill and blew lightly on his parchment to dry the ink on his letter; it was his seventh that month to Dumbledore concerning the violent dreams that Voldemort had been sending him.  Harry ran a finger over the lightning shaped scar that was on his forehead.  It still burned as if he'd woken up screaming from the dream minutes before when it had actually been a little more than an hour ago.  The pains in his scar were becoming more and more frequent and lasted longer.

He rubbed his sleep-filled eyes and leaned back in his chair.  The lamp on his desk was now quite dim compared to the brilliant sunrise just outside his window.  It filled Harry's room with its golden light, spreading its warmth through Little Whinging.  

As Harry squinted out the window, he saw a huge shape coming towards the house on Privet Drive.  He proceeded to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  Six owls, one of them his own snowy owl, Hedwig, were flying towards the house.  Harry, stumbling the entire way, cleared the window space in a hurry.  His room was suddenly filled with light hoots and the quiet rustling of feathers.  Each owl appeared to be anxious to rid itself of its parcel first and crowded around Harry, jostling and pushing each other.  Harry laughed quietly so he wouldn't wake his aunt, uncle, and cousin, and pulled the letter off the tawny owl that he recognized as Dumbledore's.  He peeled off the seal with his fingertips and read the letter:

Dear Harry,

As you well know, both the Weasleys and Sirius offered to take you in halfway through summer break.  You've anxiously waited, no doubt, to get away from your current housing.  Of course, it is your choice who you spend the rest of your break with, but I suggest that you make the choice quickly.  I will be sending you another letter in a few days.

Sirius has asked me to send you his warm wishes on your birthday and to include the gift attached to the owl.  He also said, "Have a very happy birthday, and don't let the Dursleys bother you too much!"

Sincerely,

Professor A. Dumbledore

            "Well, that's cheery," Harry murmured, a brief smile stealing across his face.  He glanced back at the tawny owl and pulled the package from it.  It nipped gently at his fingers and hopped away, perching on the edge of Harry's desk.  Harry attached his letter to the owl, adding, "Thanks for the letter and the gift.  By the time of next letter, I should have my mind made up." Harry deftly attached the letter to the outstretched leg of the owl and watched it fly out his window.  He turned his gaze back to the gift: it was rectangular and wrapped in brown paper, much like that of a paper bag.  He picked it up.  It didn't weight that much, but it could have been enspelled to be lighter than it actually was.  Harry pulled the paper off of the object, pulled the lid off of the box, and pulled out a handsome red journal bound with a ribbon, and a pen that looked very much like a quill, but instead of a feather from a bird of some kind, the top was made from deep cherry oak, carved in the shape of a phoenix feather.  Harry admired it for a moment or two until he heard grumbling and the bed bouncing up and down in the room next to his.  Without another thought, he pulled up the loose floorboard under his bed and placed the book in without investigating it further.  He placed the letter from Dumbledore beside it and glanced at the next owl.

It was a barn owl that had a letter from Hagrid and a cake that looked like it contained something it shouldn't.  He placed that in beside the journal and quill, not really meaning to eat the cake.  _Maybe I should give it to Dudley_, he thought with a slight grin.

The third owl (another tawny) had the list of supplies for Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts.  He placed that on his desk, promising himself that he'd read it later.  

Ron Weasley's gift contained yet another book on the Chudley Cannons, Ron's favorite quidditch team.  Shaking his head gently and chuckling, Harry placed it in along with the cake and journal.  After shooing an over-excited Pig out the window, he started on Hedwig's parcel.  Hermione had written a letter on some strange smelling paper:

Harry,

Guess what!  I've been made a prefect!  Can you believe it?  Ron wasn't made one, much to his _immense _relief, and to Fred and George's, too (for some strange reason).  Do you know if you've been made one?  Crookshanks took off with my letter after I received it, so I couldn't check.  He's been a bit grumpy recently.

Have you heard from Sirius lately?  He sent both Ron and me letters asking us if we would like to come and stay with him if you want to stay there.  Who _are_ you going to choose for that?

Hope to hear from you soon, and have a very happy birthday. 

Love always,

Hermione

Harry smiled again and opened up the gift.  He wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that Hermione had been made prefect.  

Harry frowned when the small box he'd been holding fell open and a flash of gold leapt out at him.  He caught it easily and knew that it was far too light and slow to be a snitch, which was what he thought that it was at first.  He held it up and looked curiously at it.  It was a very small golden lightning bolt on a gold chain.  He put it around his neck.  It fit just under his shirt.  He put everything else away quickly and noticed that there was one more owl with a small package, and a letter.  He grabbed the parcel and the owl flew out the window before he could stop it.

Harry shook the box gently and heard something inside shifting.  He opened up the package and a badge that looked vaguely familiar.  A large "P" was on it.  Harry groaned.  He looked at the letter and his fears had come true.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been made a prefect at Hogwarts, school for witchcraft and wizardry.  The following list of students have also been made prefects.  You will sit with them on the train for the first ten minutes of the trip.  After that, you may sit where you wish.

Harry looked up and down the list.  To his amusement, he noticed that Draco Malfoy had not been made a prefect.  A smile crawled across his face, and he knew that this year would definitely be better than any of the previous years.

Stretching and rubbing his eyes again, Harry headed downstairs to have breakfast, and to see if whomever he had heard creeping down the stairs had remembered his birthday.

Harry stopped near the bottom most step.  Someone was whispering, but Harry knew that no one (aside from him) was normally up this early.  He stepped down one more stair and leaned towards the entryway, straining his ears to hear what was so important that it had to be said while everyone was supposedly still asleep.

 "…Er…no…but why the sudden interest in him?  I know that you've just been interested in collecting information for that Dark Lord of yours for the past couple of years, but why the sudden action?"  Harry immediately recognized the voice as Uncle Vernon's.  Harry pressed himself up against the wall and tried to ignore his noisy heartbeat.

"Quiet, Muggle. You are not overly important, and we could replace you on a whim."  Harry furrowed his brow.  The second voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the owner.  From behind him, a floorboard creaked, and Harry spun around as quietly and quickly as he could.  Dudley was standing at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes, and yawning widely.  Harry prayed that the men below wouldn't hear him.

Dudley had lost enough weight on the diet from the year before to fit into the second largest size that his school was able to outfit him.  Harry believed that after that ton tongue toffee that the Weasley twins left him the year before, he might have abstained from even flaming Christmas pudding during the holidays, which he spent with his parents.

"Who's there?  They woke me up!" Dudley asked in a loud whisper.  Harry wildly motioned for Dudley to be quiet.  To Harry's surprise, Dudley didn't object.  He crept down the stairs, closer to Harry, and began to listen as well.

"He should be spending the rest of the summer with those wretched wizards—the Weasels," Uncle Vernon said, ignoring the previous comment.  Harry's brow furrowed even further.  _Who is Uncle Vernon talking to?_ he wondered.

 "I'll notify the Dark Lord immediately.  Oh, and one more thing," the man (Harry presumed it was a Death Eater) said.  With a sudden shock, Harry realized that Vernon Dursley was talking to Lucius Malfoy.  Harry felt the blood drain from his face.

"Go!" he hissed as quietly as he could to Dudley.  "Get back upstairs!"

"Why?" Dudley whispered back, looking confused.  "It's just Dad and his friend from work."

"_Go_!" Harry repeated, beginning to push his cousin up the stairs.   Dudley budged a few inches, and then stopped.

"No!"

 "Yes?" Uncle Vernon asked, covering the grunt that Harry gave as he tried to shove Dudley up the stairs again.  _I wish I had my wand!_ he thought desperately.

Mr. Malfoy muttered something that Harry couldn't catch, but he knew what it was immediately when he saw a flash of green light and heard a rushing sound.  "I am a wizard, you fool," Mr. Malfoy said.  He laughed a terrible, diabolical laugh, and then the sound of the front door snapping shut sounded.

Harry stopped trying to push Dudley and slowly peeked over the top of the stairs, almost dreading what he knew he was about to see.

Vernon Dursley lay flat on his back on the wooden floor, a surprised look on his face.  His bulging eyes stared up at the ceiling.  He was dead.

~*~

Harry sat on the couch watching as a police officer tried to comfort Aunt Petunia as paramedics looked over Uncle Vernon's dead body.  Harry could have told them that they wouldn't find anything to help them with his cause of death, but he decided that it would be wiser to keep quiet.

By the time the police and the paramedics had left, three owls sat on the fence dividing their yard from the neighbor's.  Harry got off of the couch and walked to the owls.

Pig seemed overly delighted to see him twice in the same day, and Harry was slightly surprised to see a thick wad of letters attached to his tiny leg.  Harry pulled them off and tried to shoo Pig away, but the little owl seemed to have other things in mind.  He swooped around the yard for a while, narrowly missing becoming snack for Mrs. Figg's cat, Tracey.

The Weasley's seemed to have heard about the incident already, since there was a letter from Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley, and Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione in another.  Mrs. Weasley had sounded frantic with worry, while Mr. Weasley just sounded curious about what had happened.  Harry had to stifle a laugh when he looked at the younger Weasleys and Hermione's letter:

Harry—

Dad owled five minutes ago saying that a Muggle had been killed.  We didn't think much of it _You didn't think much of it, Fred._  Give me back the quill, Ginny!  Harry, are you all right?  The wizarding wireless said that it was your uncle!  **Did they kill Dudley, too?**  _George, what a horrid thing to say!_  **Did** they?  Harry, just ignore them.  **_Forget the rest of them.  Are you still in one piece?  Did you see who it was?_  **Never mind.  Just send us a letter telling us that you're okay.  **If he wasn't okay, he wouldn't recie **George, don't say things like that!  _I'm telling Mum!_  Mum's busy sending a letter.  Harry, I do hope you're not hurt!  **They would have reported it, Hermione.**

_Write us back as soon as you get this!_

Fred, _Ginny_, Hermione, **George, _and Ron_**

Harry grabbed Pig (who was teasing Tracey now by flying in circles two feet above her head) and pocketed the owl, before looking at the next two.  There was a very tired looking barn owl that looked as if he were no more than a year or two younger than Errol.  Harry gently pulled the letter from its leg, and watched it fly off as if it were going to fall down to the ground in a heap.  The letter was from Sirius and Remus.

_Harry—_

_If you're still interested in coming to my house_ Our house, Sirius.  _Yes, that, then meet us at the deport station for the Knight Bus._

Sirius will be in his dog form, and I'll be with him, so don't worry.  _Why would he?_  Considering his uncle was just killed?  _He could have had a heart attack._  A wand induced heart attack, then.

_Sirius_ and Remus.

Harry sighed and pocketed the letter.  The third owl had a far more interesting letter from Dumbledore, and a small whistle in the shape of an owl was included.  However, before Harry had the chance to read the letter, Aunt Petunia walked out the door and yelled, "Boy!  Pack up your things; we leave in a quarter of an hour."  When Harry turned back to the owl, it had flown off.  Harry sighed again and walked through the door.

The entire house was a mess.  The police had been searching for the majority of the day and had found nothing.  Dudley was sitting cross-legged on the floor by an enormous suitcase; Harry thought he was taking things quite well, for someone whose father had just died by something Muggles were not supposed to know about.  As Harry passed him on the way to the stairs, Dudley looked up.

 "So Dad worked for the guy who wanted to kill you," he said in a monotonous voice.

Harry stopped and turned to face his cousin.  "I guess he was."

Dudley looked back down at the floor and began to trace circles in the carpet with one porky finger.  "Now I know what you've been through."

"Pardon?" Harry said, slightly confused.

"Losing a parent," he answered calmly, almost indifferently.

Harry took a step back and nearly fell over another suitcase that Aunt Petunia had just set down.  "I never even _knew_ either of my parents, so don't go saying that you know what I've been through!" Harry told him.  For some reason, anger was settling into the pit of his stomach.  "You have all these memories of Uncle Vernon.  I have the scenes of my parent's deaths."  He waved an exasperated hand.  "_They haunt me_.  The only way that they've spoken to me was through a reverse echo—a shadow of some sort that retained my parent's appearance and character.  It wasn't really them.  Be glad that you've at least spoken with your dad and have gotten to know him, gotten to learn things about him while he was still in school, before he died."  Harry felt his nose and eyes burning and willed him to banish the sadness that had replaced the anger.  Dudley's look of calm suddenly evaporated into pained sadness, and Harry felt worse than he had before.

~*~

Late that night from a motel room just outside of Surrey, using the only the moon to light the letter that Dumbledore had sent him.

Harry—

After word came of the death of your uncle and how it came to be, the Ministry decided that it is no longer safe for you to live with your aunt and cousin.  You will stay with Sirius and Remus for the remainder of the summer (unless you would prefer to stay with the Weasleys), and until further notice you shall stay at the castle for all holidays.

The whistle that has been included is intended for your aunt.  Should something happen that puts her life or the life of your cousin in danger, tell her to blow on the whistle.  An auror will come to her aid within half a minute.

Please reply to this letter as soon as you find the time.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School

Harry sat in silence and wondered what to do next.  It was much too late to be barging into the room that his aunt and cousin shared, even though Harry could hear the occasional sob coming from his aunt.  He sighed and wrote a reply to Dumbledore.  He told him that even the Weasleys were in danger now, since the Deatheater that had killed his uncle had seemed to take too keen of an interest in them.

"My life's such a mess," Harry murmured almost angrily.

 After sending the letter off with Hedwig, he lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.  After what seemed to be an eternity, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep plagued with dreams of Vernon standing over Harry's dead parents, laughing mechanically.


	2. Chapter Two: New Faces at Hogwarts

Chapter 2-New Faces At Hogwarts

Harry decided two days later that he needed to get away from his aunt and cousin, on the basis of two sentences: "Get the hell away from my son!" and "If I ever see you come within five feet of myself or my son again, I will call the police and charge you with trespassing!"

After he finished packing his belongings in his trunk, he chanced a visit to the room next door and went to talk to Aunt Petunia.  As he rapped on the door, he heard someone sniffing and rummaged around for a tissue box.  The whitewashed door cracked opened, and an inch of Aunt Petunia's face could be seen through the small space created.

"What do you want, _boy_?" she snapped, saying the last word as if it were something gross and not to speak of.  Harry stepped back so she could see him better.

 "I just thought—"

 "Oh, so _now_ you're thinking!" she shrieked, spitting on the fifteen-year-old as she did so.  "Maybe if you had done that before, _Vernon would still be alive!_"

 "I was saying, I thought you would like to know that"—he rolled the owl shaped whistle around in his hand—"if you ever need help, you can blow on this whistle.  An auror will—"

 "I don't need your help," she snapped, taking the whistle from him anyway.

Harry shrugged.  "It's your choice, but now that Uncle—"

"Don't you _dare_ say his name!" Petunia shrieked.  "You haven't the honor, haven't the right to!"  Her voice dropped to a whisper, and her voice shook with suppressed rage and sadness.  "_If you ever come near us again, you will be sorry!_"

"I'll keep that in mind, if I have the urge to," Harry replied stubbornly.  Aunt Petunia slammed the door in his face, and Harry turned to return to his room and get his belongings.

He didn't expect to ever see his only living relatives again.

After dragging his trunk down the country road for a mile or two, Harry decided that it was safe enough to call the Knight Bus.  He had been on it once before, the summer before his third year after he had blown up his aunt—she hadn't _really_ been his aunt—and run off, expecting the Ministry of Magic to send an accidental magic reversal squad down on him to send him to announce his expulsion from Hogwarts—or worse.

The violently purple bus appeared with a _bang!_ no more than three feet in front of Harry, and he warily boarded it.  He paid his transportation fee, and settled back on one of the beds, hopefully to regain some of the sleep that he had been missing.  When he wasn't having 'Voldemort' dreams, he was plagued with nightmares of Cedric Diggory, the old man, Bertha Jorkins, and his parents floating around him in circles, chanting, "You killed us.  It's _your_ fault!"

The Knight Bus lurched to a stop at his destination about ten minutes later: the Knight Bus depot station, in London.  Since he hadn't had any time to owl Remus Lupin, whose home he was trying to get to, the driver had told Harry what he thought was the best thing to do: try to Floo to his house.  Harry didn't really see any point, since he had very little wizarding money with him, but the man hadn't recognized him, so he believed he could trust him.  As he walked dizzily to the front of the bus and stepped off, trying to ignore the pangs of nausea in his stomach, the bus driver grinned toothily at Harry.

"Hope ye find yer way there wit' no problem, me boy!" he growled.  He shoved Harry's trunk off after him, and just before the bus _banged!_ away, Harry swore he heard, "Blimey…was that 'Arry Potter?"

_So much for not being recognized,_ he thought bitterly, trying to flatten his fringe over his scar.  He looked around the bus depot, trying to spot an empty fireplace, marveling at how much it looked like Platform 9 ¾.  Sighing in remorse, Harry seized the end of his trunk and tugged it towards a bench; all the fireplaces were in use.  He had a long time to wait before the next bus came in to get him out of here, if that was what he wanted to do next.

Harry reached the bench and sat down heavily on it.  If he had read the clock above the time-board correctly, the next bus would arrive in four hours, plenty of time some get to sleep, since the jostling and noise on the bus had been too much for him to get any.  As Harry closed his eyes, he thought he saw a person that looked vaguely familiar crouching in front of a fireplace, glancing over in his direction.  He opened his eyes quickly and sat up straight.  Before he knew what was happening, someone was hurtling towards him.

"Oh, _Harry_!  Thank God!"  It was Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends.  Slightly startled, he got quickly to his feet and braced himself, for Hermione was running quite fast and it appeared that she didn't intend to stop anytime soon.  Sure enough, she ran into him, knocking the wind out of him.  She squeezed him tight into a hug. Harry choked.  "We were so worried!"  She said.  She buried her head into his shoulder.  Harry could feel something wet soaking into his T-shirt and knew she was crying.  "Oh, thank God, _thank God!_"  She looked up, her face pale.  

"Oi, Hermione!  Let him go!"  Ron Weasley, Harry's other best friend, arrived about five seconds later and grabbed Hermione's right arm.  Half unwillingly, she pulled away from Harry and wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand.  Harry noticed more than ever Ron's growth in height; he was normally a few inches above Hermione, but now he practically towered over the two of them.  He looked nearly as pale as Hermione, his freckles standing out as if a young child had poked him with a brown magic-marker in his sleep.

 "Dad came home with the news."

"So you told me," Harry said, recalling the confusing and slightly amusing letter that Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George had sent via Pig.

"And…your uncle…?"

 "Yeah," Harry said bitterly, looking down at the ground.  _Another death, because of me_ he thought.

"Harry, come on."  He was barely aware that Hermione was tugging at the sleeve of his jumper.  "We need to go."

"Go…where?" he asked as he was tugged in what felt like a random direction.

"To Si—er, to Snuffles and Remus," Hermione told him.

"Sirius?" Harry said in a whisper, glancing sideways at Hermione, and then on to Ron.  Harry straightened abruptly as he remembered.  _If you're still interested in coming to my house **Our house, Sirius.**  Yes, that, then meet us at the deport station for the Knight Bus._  "They're here!  They said that—"

"Yes, Harry, we already know," Ron said quietly.  Harry heard something scuffing on the ground and half-turned to see that Ron had taken to dragging it along behind them.  Somehow, a rope had attached itself to the handle.  Harry was about to say something else when a sharp, deep bark echoed around the station, and a yell of delight met their ears.

Harry looked around until he spotted who he was looking for.  "Professor!" he cried out.  Lupin hadn't gained any more gray to his light brown hair since the last time Harry had seen him, and he looked more rested as well.  Harry wondered idly when the last full moon had been.

A shaggy black dog bounded forward, and Harry knelt down to embrace it.

"Sirius, how are you?" Harry whispered to the dog.  Sirius gave another short bark and turned, staring determinedly in the direction of what Harry thought was the barrier to the Muggle world.

 "Let's go home," Lupin said in a slightly tired, yet all together happy voice, and led the way off to the barrier.  

Harry spent the rest of his summer vacation with Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and Sirius at Lupin's house, in a small town just outside of London.  The house was quite small but comfortably furnished, a quiet place of comfort, seeming to be warm during the straight four weeks of rain that followed Harry's arrival.  He kept quiet, talking only when he had to for the entire time.  Ron and Hermione gave him the space he needed.  Two people had died within the same year, and both, it seemed, because of him.

"You shouldn't feel guilty, Harry," Sirius said to him one morning as Harry picked at his eggs.  Harry didn't answer, but instead moved a small portion from once side of the plate to the other.  The eggs looked more yellow then what was safe, but Ron and Hermione seemed to be enjoying them, so he ate a forkful.  They tasted of cheese, which explained the bright color.  Harry smiled slightly at the warm taste it left in his mouth, and then darted for his cup of orange juice as the spicy flavor of a pepper burst in his mouth.

Remus grinned.  "You got a jalapeño, didn't you?"

"Yes," Harry sputtered, swallowing his juice in a gulp and then reaching for the pitcher.

At the end of August, about a week before the start of school, Harry, Ron, and Hermione (accompanied by Lupin, Sirius, and a heavy blue-black umbrella) went to Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies.  Harry saw a few people that he recognized from the previous years, including Ginny and Charlie Weasley, both of whom were concerned about Harry as much as Ron and Hermione had been when they first met up at the bus station.

"Mum was beside herself," Charlie said after grinning at his youngest brother and tousling his hair.

"She wanted you at the house, but Dumbledore wrote and said that it wouldn't be wise.  I wonder why?" Ginny said, slightly confused.  Harry knew perfectly well why, but hadn't seen any reason to worry any of them.

On September first, Remus drove three teens, three trunks, and two owls to the train station, accompanied by Sirius, in dog form, of course.  The station, though still swimming with people, seemed quieter then usual, and the normal hustle and bustle of the Muggles wasn't even as pronounced.

When the whistle of the Hogwarts Express finally blew, Harry felt relief sweep into his stomach as he leaned out of his window and waved to Lupin and Sirius.  When the train rounded a bend and they were no longer in sight, Harry ducked back inside.  

"We need to go to the front of the train, don't forget," Hermione said.

"Why's that?" Ron asked.  Hermione pointed to her Prefect badge, which she had pinned to her robes when they crossed through the barrier between the Muggle station and platform 9 ¾.

"Oh, right," Harry said, opening his trunk and rummaging around for the badge.  He finally found it and pinned it on his robes.  Ron made a face.

"I'll see you guys later," he said, and Harry and Hermione left through the compartment door.

"How come you never told us that you were made Prefect too?" Hermione asked as they walked down the corridor.

"It never came up," Harry answered simply, ducking past a large wad of parchment that someone had thrown.  Harry wondered briefly if he should reprimand the thrower, but decided against it.

While they walked down the hall to the front of the train, Hermione questioned Harry on who else had been named a Prefect.  She was delighted to hear that Draco Malfoy, someone who they both despised from the top of his white-blond hair to his expensive looking leather shoes.  She was disappointed when, with disgust, Harry told her that a Slytherin had been named Head Boy, and was even more delighted to hear that a Hufflepuff was Head Girl.  Harry and Hermione both agreed that the Hufflepuffs deserved the recognition they had received.

As it turned out, there was nothing much to do in the front compartment where the prefects sat.  The only exciting thing that happened was when a small, doe-eyed student (_A first year,_ Harry thought) accidentally walked in and the Head Boy began to scare her thoroughly by telling her that she would have to do all sorts of things to determine which house she would be in.  The Head Girl nearly turned purple with rage, and she spent the rest of the ten minutes screaming at him and threatening to go to the heads of houses and Dumbledore with an order for him to be removed.

 "Honestly," she said with the shake of her head after she had calmed down.  "You'd think that a seventh year would know better, but _no_, this seventh year happens to be a _Slytherin_!"  Bored to tears, Harry and Hermione practically ran back to their compartment at the end of the train.

No sooner had they sat down, when a soft knock on the door made all three of them jump.

"Who knocks on doors nowadays?" Ron wondered aloud as Hermione reached for the handle of the door.

"Dunno," Harry answered with a shrug.  A short, slim girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old stood in the door, her dark brown, curly hair swirling around her shoulders.  She brushed her nose length fringe out of her green eyes and glanced at them with curiosity

"Um…hey.  Do ye mind if I sit in here?  I'm new te Hogwarts, and I don know anybody yet except fer de jerk back dere with de blond hair.  Do ye know him?  He appears te have used some form of concealor te hide dat he's bin jinxed lately."  The group grinned at each other after trying to understand what she had said.  She had the weirdest accent, and Harry was positive that she wasn't from England, or from anywhere in Europe, for that matter.

"Sure," Ron said, his eyes never leaving the girl as she slid the door shut.  "Where are you from?"

"Oh, here and dere," she said, very slightly shaking her head from side to side.  "I've jest moved from New York after living there fer…oh, I'd say five years.  I'm a foster house brat, ye see.  I've lived in various orphanages fer almost all of my life."

"'Fosta house brat'?" asked Hermione as the two boys looked at her for an explanation.

"Yeah.  I'm an orphan.  I said dat I've been in orphanages," the girl said, slightly annoyed.

Hermione sniffed derisively.  "You're not from England or Scotland, are you?"

"Well, I was _born_ in England, but when my parents died I was sent te an orphanage in Hawaii.  I've bin travelin' the states since I could talk, practically.  I moved from New York te here from de worst wizarding orphanage in the world, I swear!"  She laughed lightly.

Hermione gave her a cold look as Ron grinned.  "Have a seat."

The girl smiled at him and then looked at Harry.  Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she glanced around her face.  "Ye look familiar, kid," she said to Harry, pointing at him.

"Well," Hermione said, startled.  She sat back.  "Are you telling me that you don't recognize Harry Potter when you see him?"

"What?  Harry Potter?  Who…oh!  Him!  Sorry 'bout dat…ye look different in all dem books dey've got written 'bout ye."

 "'Booyks'?  Oh!  Books…yeah, Hermione said something about being in several _Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ books."

"'Several'?  More like three bookshelves full!"

"Only?" Harry said, rolling his eyes slightly when Ron sniggered.  "They're slacking off, aren't they."  He stated the last part, rather than asked.

"How would you know, anyway?" Ron asked her.  The girl's fringe fell back into her eyes as she leaned forward, and she pushed it back behind her ears.

"Mmm…aside from reading de entire school library at _least_ once, I've bin te nearly every wizarding library 'cross New York state!" she exclaimed, much to Hermione's disapproval.

"You know," Ron said suddenly, "you never told us your name."

"Well, ye didn' tell me yer name either, Red," she said, a sly grin flooding her face.  Harry frowned.  There was something familiar about her that he couldn't place.  Then, with realization at what the strange American had just said, he began to chuckle.

"R-Red?!" Ron exclaimed, scandalized.

"Close enough, if you ask me," Hermione said with a shrug.  "He's Ron, and I'm Hermione.  That's Harry, but we already assessed that."

"Audry," the American answered, putting out her hand to shake Hermione's.

"So…d'you like quidditch?" Ron asked with a grin

Audry cocked her head, and her fringe untucked itself from behind her ears.  "What's 'quidditch'?"

Ron nearly exploded.  "'What's quidditch'?  Jeeze, you _are_ from a different country!  Who _hasn't_ heard of quidditch?"

Harry heard the door slip open the rest of the way, but was too late when he turned to warn his friends.  "Mudbloods and Muggles, of course!"  A drawling voice said from the door.  Audry turned, sniffing the air.

"Do ye boys smell something?  I jest all of a sudden…oh, dat's why!  It's a pureblood with a rotten attitude towards people he doesn' even know!"  She stood up and energetically shook his hand.  "Nice te meet ya again…" she fished around for his name, and when he failed in shock to give it to her, she supplied one that made Harry shake with suppressed laughter.  "Dumb!  Dumb Ass!  That's what it was.  So sorry, Dumb, I completely forgot your name!"  Malfoy had never looked more furious.

_Dumb Ass?_ Harry mouthed to Ron behind the American's back as she continued to grin at Malfoy.  He shrugged in return.

"You'll pay for that, Mudblood," he growled menacingly, but Harry noticed his ears were a bright pink.  Crabb and Goyle (Harry noticed hex marks standing out on their faces) stood there, too stupid to do anything but stare at the strange girl from New York.  "My father will most definitely hear about this."

"And what would yer so-called _father_ say if ye told him what ye'd been callin' me?  Huh?"

"He wouldn't care," Malfoy shrugged, and then stood straighter, a steely glint in his eyes.  Audry raised an eyebrow.

"Some parent.  One of de pureblood girls in my old orphanage thought she was better dan one of de halfbloods and called her a Muddie.  I'll never forget how many jinx scars she ended up with _after_ de staff removed the removable ones!  Oh, silly me," she said suddenly, smacking herself in the head.  "I jest remembered what it was!"  She rummaged around in the small dark red purse that was slung over her shoulder, muttering, "Now if only I could find my wand in dis pig sty…" When she finally whipped it out and pointed it at Malfoy, he was gone, shutting the door too forcefully behind him and shattering the glass.  "Wait!  Come back!"  She cried out the shattered window.  "I haven't gotten to show you what it does yet!"  Harry, Ron, and Hermione roared with laughter.  Audry grinned back at them and bowed clumsily, saying, "Thank you, thank you!"

"I have never seen Malfoy scared like that in my _life_!"  Ron exclaimed, slapping his knee.  "Well," he said thoughtfully, "except after the ABF incident."

"ABF?" Audry asked curiously, putting her wand back in her purse and sitting down again.

"Amazing _Bouncing_ _Ferret_!"  Harry and Ron yelled in unison.  Another door slammed shut and the tinkling of breaking glass could be heard again.  Then Malfoy began to scream at Crabb and Goyle for not standing up for him.  Audry rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand again and repaired the window.  The shards sprang up into the windowpane, repairing it while she, Ron, and Harry talked of quidditch, and Hermione looked quite sulky in the corner as she dug around in her trunk, left out as she was.

~*~

"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes time," proclaimed a nasal voice on the train's intercom.  "Please be dressed in your robes by that time."  Audry stood up and grabbed a pair of her robes and her uniform out of a small travel suitcase by her feet.  Audry and Hermione left to go find a compartment full of girls so they could change into their Hogwarts uniforms and left Ron with Harry.

"What do you think of her?" Harry asked Ron as he rummaged around in his trunk for his tie.

"She's amazing," he said, starting to blush.

Harry looked up.  "She looks familiar to me for some reason."

"You mean you think you've seen her before?"

"Well…yes and no," he said, scratching his head.  He moved a book and discovered his lost tie wedged between his Herbology _Dictionary of Plants_ and his new DADA book.  

Ron groaned. "Don't tell me that you're going all Trelawney on me!"

"No, it's not that; I just…she…I don't know!"  He threw his hands up in the air.

"'I just…she…' what?" Audry asked, coming back in.  Harry swallowed slightly as he looked at the way she wore the uniform.  The skirt had been rolled up once or twice to reveal the bottom of her tightly muscled thighs.   The white shirt, on the other hand…Harry believed that if she hadn't been wearing her school robes, every part of her torso would've been visible.  At the moment, the top of her black bra was visible through it.  Harry wrenched his eyes away to look at Hermione.  She was scowling disapprovingly again.

"Er…" sputtered Ron.  Audry looked down at her shirt and shrugged.

"I guess that's why all the guys were drooling as we walked back here," she said, turning to Hermione with a grin.  Hermione's scowl deepened and she went back to her book.

When the train finally clanked to a stop, Audry had never looked more excited.

"I haven't been sorted yet," she said eagerly.  "What's it like?"

"Well, you have to duel with a dra—" Ron started with a sly grin.

"Don't be stupid," Hermione said, snapping her book shut and putting it back in her trunk.  She proceeded to open the door leading outside and jumped out onto the platform.  "You have to put on the Sorting Hat and then it will sort you into the house it feels you would fit in most."  She stalked off towards a line of fifth years preparing to board the horseless carriages that were currently rattling towards Hogsmede Station.

"Don't let it push you around," Harry added, trying to pull his cloak out from under a stack of papers and quills.  He managed it, but not without severely scratching his hand twice on the point of the quill.  "What house do you want to be in?"

"Well, I've heard all sorts of good things about Gryffindor," she began, twirling one of her curls around a finger and following them down the platform for a ways.  They stopped as a mass of students got in their way.  "Ravenclaw sounds nice, but Hufflepuff just sounds like it's fer a bunch of blonds from…somewhere."  She released the curl and brushed her fringe out of her eyes for the seventh or so time since the trio had met her.  "Slytherin doesn't sound very nice at all.  Yes, Gryffindor, I think."

"Good choice!"  Ron said, slapping her jovially on the back.  She choked and swallowed the gum she had been chewing.  "We're all in Gryffindor.  Well, see you at the feast!" he said as she was pushed by a group of first years towards the boats.

"Wait!" she cried out, trying to move back towards them.  "How do I get dere?"

"Follow the first years!" Harry yelled back.  Audry was swept out of sight.

"Good riddance," Hermione said grumpily as they caught up with her.

"You don't like her?" Ron asked, confused.

"I don't _trust_ her," she corrected.  Harry looked at Ron as they reached the horseless carriages and then clambered into one after Hermione as the first few carriages rolled away into the darkness.

Harry peered out the window of the musty carriage, gazing at the lake and the twinkling lights of the lamps on each boat.  He wondered what it was like to be the only new fifth year among a group of eleven and ten-year-olds.  He then realized that, perhaps, he didn't want to know after all.

They reached the castle and Harry hopped out, happy to be back at the only place he had ever called home.  Peeves was nowhere to be seen, which made everyone happy, since the previous year he had bombarded them with water balloons after they had already been soaked by torrential rains.

The Great Hall was lit only by the slightly overcast sky (the rain had stopped a few hours ago) and thousands upon thousands of flickering candles, so the shadows made the room slightly eerie.  Harry shivered under his slightly damp cloak.  It was cold, even for September.  Harry quickly found the Gryffindor table, minus last year's seventh years, and rushed over to it to seat himself, as if the sorting would go faster just because _he_ moved faster.  Ron and Hermione followed, obviously just as hungry as he.

"Snape's still here," Ron said, sounding disappointed.  The greasy haired professor was talking to a short man with wiry white hair, whom it took Harry a few seconds to recognize the as Professor Flitwick.

"Flitwick's lost some hair," he noted, nodding in his general direction.

"Oh, look, there's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!" Hermione said, pointing.  Harry looked too.  For one wild moment, he thought that it was Sirius at the top table, laughing at whatever joke Dumbledore had just told.  After closer inspection, he discovered he was wrong.  The man was much too dark to be Sirius, and he was taller than his godfather, too.

"He looks familiar," Ron said, squinting.

"I thought he looked like Snuffles," Harry told him.  Ron nodded.

"I can see the resemblance, but you're right; it's not him.  Here come the first years and Audry," he added as a silence fell over the room.

Ron was partially wrong.  It wasn't only Audry and the first years.  A group of new students, ranging from twelve to seventeen, also filed in.  Harry was surprised to see that some of them were wearing the same kind of thin clothing that the Beauxbatons students had been wearing the year before, but since it was colder than usual, the majority of the students were shivering anyway.

Audry looked annoyed as she entered the room, as if something—or someone—had been bothering her.  Professor McGonagall brought out the stool and placed the hat on it.  Harry stared at it and waited for it to sing.  After about twenty seconds and still nothing had happened, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione.  The looked confused.

"What do you think is wrong with it?" he asked.

"Maybe it ran out of songs," Ron suggested with a shrug.  A strange buzzing filled the room as the students began their conversations again, this time all wondering aloud what was going on with the hat.  

"D'you think something's wrong with it?" Hermione asked Ron, while Harry looked up at Audry.  He noticed she no longer looked annoyed; she was severely nervous now, shifting from foot to foot as she raked the crowded hall with her eyes.  When she spotted Harry, he gave her a comforting smile.  She smiled weakly.  Professor McGonagall ran up to the Sorting Hat, a frown on her lips, and picked it up.  After placing it on her head and listening for a few moments, nodding all the while, she placed it back down on the stool and walked briskly over to the top table, right to Dumbledore's seat.  She whispered in his ear for a few moments before he nodded and stood up.

"I'm sorry to say that we won't be using the Sorting Hat this year to sort the new students, due to the fact that the Hat refuses to sort anyone over a first year," he said with a quick glance to Audry and the other older students.  Audry looked guiltily at the crowd.  Harry's mouth fell open.

"It won't sort them?" he gasped.  Ron looked surprised.  An uproar came from some of the students.

"I wanted to hear its song!"  A second year said shrilly.  Dumbledore smiled.

"This does not mean that we won't be able to sort them, of course," he said, holding up a hand for silence.  It was quickly gained, and he continued.  "I will call the students up to the top table.  They will be requested to place their wands tip to tip with mine.  The burst of light that comes from the wand will determine what house they are to go in."  The first years looked terrified, and Audry's look of annoyance was back.  Harry thought he heard a faint whispering in his head, which startled him, but when he tried to listen to it, it stopped, so he thought nothing of it.

Professor McGonagall picked up the sorting hat and tucked it under her arm.  As she passed the top table, she handed a list of the new students to Dumbledore and walked out of the room to put the Sorting Hat back in Dumbledore's office where it belonged.  Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Acridge, Aaron."  One of the first years stumbled out of line and walked shakily up to Dumbledore.  He placed his wand tip to tip with Dumbledore's, trying not to tremble as he did so.  A flash of yellow light burst from the wand tips and soared up into the air, taking the shape of a badger.  The Hufflepuffs began to applaud heartily, welcoming Aaron to their table and house. 

"Arando, Katrine."  A fourteen-year-old girl with deep blue eyes and silky brown hair nearly floated up to the front table, her head held up high.  She didn't seem the least bit frightened as she placed her wand tip to tip with Dumbledore's.  The Ravenclaws warmly welcomed her as the deep blue shape of an eagle soared towards the enchanted ceiling.

"Atins, Kyle."  Frightened and looking quite intimidated by the giant sixth years on either side of him, a boy with hair so black that it appeared to have blue highlights in it walked towards Dumbledore.  He trembled as he placed it tip to tip against Dumbledore's.  A badger scuttled out, and the Hufflepuffs applauded again.

"Audry," he said without announcing her last name.  Harry supposed this was because she was an orphan and didn't have one.  She walked carefully up to the top table and placed her wand against Dumbledore's.  The students gasped in awe as the magnificent burgundy shape of a lion padded out, tossing its mighty head and roaring.  Recovering from his shock, Harry began to cheer with the rest of the students.  Audry tossed her head as well (her fringe flipped into her eyes again) and smiled at the students as she walked over.

"Well, I made it!" She cried.  "I'm lucky dat I got de one I wanted.  I was worried, since I thought de wand would sort me into de house it thought me most fit te join.  If de Sorting Hat weren't being such a choosy prick it wouldn't've mattered.  Um…right?"

"Probably," Harry agreed.  He remembered how the Hat had wanted to sort him into Slytherin and not Gryffindor.

"Why does this always have to move so slow?" Ron moaned, massaging his stomach as if it hurt him.  "Come on!  I'm starving!"

"Why are dere so many different aged students bein' sorted?" Audry asked quietly, applauding for Backlin, Jordana as she was sorted into Gryffindor.  The girl was small enough, and her long thick hair didn't help make her seem taller.

"I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with Voldemort's rebirth," Harry said softly.  Hermione's mouth drew into a thin line and Ron flinched slightly, as Harry knew they would, but he was completely unprepared for Audry's reaction to his saying the Dark Lord's name.  She slapped him hard in the back of the head, knocking his glasses off, after her face had finished paling.

"Don't you joke about things like dat!" she hissed at him.  Harry blinked.

"I hate to break the news, if you didn't hear about it in the states, but Voldemort was brought back last school year."  Audry slapped him again.

"Don't say his name!" she hissed in unison with Ron.  Harry shrugged and turned his eyes back to the Sorting, and to Dumbledore, whose wand had just declared Durin, Tabatha, a Slytherin.

~*~

"Zwu, Chan Lo."  Dumbledore read the last name off the list.  The Asian boy walked quickly up to Dumbledore and was placed in Slytherin.  Harry felt like cheering along with the Slytherins.  There had never been so many students sorted that he could remember.  All the tables seemed more crowded then usual, and Harry felt that even if he'd tried, he wouldn't be able to see over all the black hats in the hall.

Dumbledore rolled up the parchment and handed it to Professor McGonagall as he faced the students.

"As you can see, we have welcomed students from different schools all across the continent," he said.  Harry snorted slightly.

_You would have to be blind not to see,_ he thought.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Audry grin slightly.

"They will be staying for the remainder of their schooling at Hogwarts, and I expect to gain more students over the course of this year."  Harry felt his jaw drop.  _More_ students?

"We're packed enough as it is!" Hermione exclaimed, outraged.  Most of the other Gryffindors were displeased as well, and they voiced that displeasure rather loudly and, in a few cases, obscenely.

"Other than that, there is nothing new to say.  Dig in!"  He waved his hands out in front of him and the golden plates and platters filled with food.  Harry grinned eagerly and laughed when Audry jumped at seeing all the food appear.

"I swear dis wasn' here five minutes ago," she said, eyeing a bowl of mashed potatoes near her elbow.

"The house-elves send it up," Ron said through a mouthful of garlic bread.  Using his free hand to spoon spaghetti onto his plate, Ron continued to munch on the bread and managed to get crumbs in everything.  Harry smiled and bit into his chicken breast, hungrily devouring it.

~*~

"I couldn't eat another bite if someone threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on me!"  Ron moaned, patting his full stomach.  Audry polished off the last of her green beans and leaned back in her chair.

"It should be time fer bed soon," she said, looking at her watch.

Dumbledore stood up then, causing the hall to go quiet.  "Now that we've fed you," he said, fixing a steely eye on the Slytherins, who were becoming a bit too rowdy for safety.  They didn't immediately quiet down, but after a few seconds it became considerably less noisy.  Harry ignored their jeers and looked back to Dumbledore.  "It's time for bed.  Off with you, now!  Don't forget that you don't have classes till Monday!"

Harry stood up and nearly ran into the teen with the sneering face behind him.

"How _does_ he always appear when ye least expect him te?" Audry asked, rolling her eyes.  She then turned to Malfoy with a sneer on her face to match his.  "So, Dumb, ye still want me te cast dat wonderful hex dat I spoke of earlier?"

"You'd be smart not to speak to me in that fashion, mudblood," he sneered back.  Audry rolled her eyes.

"dat'd better not be de worst word dat ye know."

"Oh, like you would know anything better?" he shot back, an irritated look on his face.  Audry smiled sweetly and whispered something in his ear.  He went pale.

"Where did you find out about _that_ word?" he gasped.  She smiled again.

"dat's fer _me_ te know and fer ye _not_ te find out!"  And with that, she swept around, her hips swishing seductively, and walked up the stairs.  Harry chanced a glance at Malfoy to see his expression.  It was one of anger, but one of longing as well.  Harry shook his head and turned away.  For some reason, Audry's movements weren't affecting him as much as they were for every other male in the hall.  Ron was practically drooling, and Hermione glanced hotly at the two of them.

"_Men_," she muttered, as if it were a bad thing, and headed up after Audry.  Harry followed, his prefect badge shining brightly on his robes.

~*~

"Blimey, I'm tired!" Ron said with an exaggerated yawn.  Harry glanced over at the girls and saw Audry blink sleepily.

"I'm exhausted," she murmured.  "Ye try takin' an eight hour flight, den driving straight te a train station and boardin' a five hour trip te a castle in the middle of nowhere."

"You _must_ be tired!" Harry agreed.  He ignored his own sleepiness and instead paid attention to where he was going.  It was the new prefects duty (as it had been explained on the train) to lead the new first years, and since they had new students who didn't know where the dormitories were, it was his and Hermione's responsibility to lead the new Gryffindors to the common rooms.  Ron was just coming with them since he had nothing better to do.

Peeves suddenly bounced into the corridor they were in, startling everyone and scaring several first year girls into hysterics.

"Ickle firsties!" he cackled as he had in Harry's first year.

He rolled his eyes.  "Sod off, Peeves," he said to the poltergeist.  Peeves stuck his tongue out and made a rude gesture with one of the fingers on his left hand.

"Too bad Peeves isn't in a house," Ron whispered to him, regarding Audry's expression.  It was one of curiosity and amusement as he dropped a couple of water balloons on the group.

"Peeves!"  Someone roared from a doorway near by.  Harry looked over and dodged another balloon.  It was the new DADA teacher.  He was walking towards them now, a furious expression on his face.  Harry was slightly surprised as he skidded to a stop and pulled his wand out.

"Professor—" he started, about to tell him that it was okay.

"Peeves, you were strictly told to keep yourself and your balloons absent for the night!" he yelled.

Peeves grinned fiendishly.  "I know something you don't know!" he sang.  The poltergeist spun around and repeated it.  "I know something you don't know!"

The man frowned.  "Peeves, I'm giving you to the count of three to skive off!" he said, sounding more like someone in Harry's year than an adult.  Peeves stuck out his tongue again and zoomed off, causing several of the torches to sputter and die as he blew hard on them.  Harry shook his head.

"That was Peeves, the resident poltergeist.  He's always trying to get the students into trouble, and always pestering the teachers.  My advice is to stay away from him for the first couple of weeks, if you can.  And this," he continued, turning to the professor, who still had an angry look on his face, "is the Defense Against the Dark Arts, or DADA as we like to call it, teacher.  Professor…" he looked at the teacher, suddenly realizing that he didn't know his name.

"Professor Edward Sirs," he said, holding out a hand to shake Harry's.  "And you're the famous Harry Potter, of course."  Harry rolled his eyes again.  Some of the new students began to whisper among themselves.

"Anyway, we need to continue to the common room," Harry said, beginning to walk again.  "We'll see you in class, Professor."

"Good-bye, Harry," he said with a wave.  A smile had crawled across his face, one that Harry felt was too familiar.  He turned back to the professor.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Harry asked.  Sirs, who had already started back to his office, turned in surprise.

"Not unless you've seen me in one of the shops," he said.  A strange look came over his face.  Hermione cleared her throat.

"Down here is the charms corridor.  If you're wondering why this is taking so long, it's for several reasons.  First of all, we're trying to show you all your new classes, with the exception of Potions, which will be down in the dungeons.  And for you older students, your electives will be around and about, and I'm not even going to try to name all the classes you might take.  The second reason is because Mr. High-and-mighty here is being—"

"De slow poke of de century!  Come on, Harry!"  Audry interrupted.  Harry smiled and took his place at the front of the line, letting Hermione talk for a while.

By the time they got to Gryffindor tower, all of the students were sleepy eyed and most of them looked ready to sink into the floor from lack of energy.  Hermione was struggling to keep a smile on her face, and Harry knew that his glasses were in danger of slipping off of his nose, but everyone was grateful to climb through the Fat Lady's portrait after giving the password. ("Bludgeon!")  Harry pointed out the vacated seventh years dormitory to the first years and lead each new male up to his dormitory.  Harry was startled to find that they even had a new fifth year boy, who promptly seized the bed nearest to the door.  He proceeded to stick his nose into a book, ending any chance of conversation.  Harry exchanged a look with Dean Thomas, who was putting up a new poster of the West Ham soccer team.  Harry had finished showing the boys where to go, so he rummaged around in his trunk for a blanket.  The cold night air was slipping through some crack in a wall nearby and was making the room downright drafty.  After securing the thin wool blanket around him, Harry headed down to the common room to have a well-earned talk with Ron and Hermione.  As he stepped into the room, he saw that only Hermione was there, her nose jammed into a book as usual.

"Hullo," he said, plopping down on the couch.

"Harry, d'you know where my dress robes from last year are?" Ron said, bursting into the room.  Harry jumped.

"Why d'you ask?"

"I wanted to use them to plug the galleon sized hole in the dormitory window so the decent people could get some sleep.  It's like ice in there!"

"It's not only there," Hermione said, rising to get closer to the fire.  "It's all over the school.  Even down by the fire here, it seems really cold."

"We'd be better off te jest bundle up tonight," a new voice said from the girls' dormitories.  Harry looked over the top of the couch and saw Audry wrapped in a light purple fleece blanket.  The bottoms of a pair of blue plaid pajama pants were visible beneath the hem.  "Isn't it about time fer bed?"

"I just thought I'd get in some last minute studying before classes on Monday."

"Don't you mean tomorrow?" Harry said, stifling a yawn.

"Today is Friday, you prat," Ron said, whacking him in the back of the head.  "Besides, what do you still need to study, Hermione?"

"Well, _you_ two don't have arithmancy," she snapped, closing the book she was reading.  Harry saw the gold lettering and library placement card flash briefly in the firelight before something dropped out of the book.  It dinged as it hit the ground, and bounced out of sight.

"What was that?" Harry asked, getting up to look for it.

"Dunno."  Ron said, squatting down to look under the couch.  "Nothing here."

"I would've said dat i'twas a ring or somethin'."  Audry placed a delicate finger on her chin and thought for a few moments.  "I've never heard such an unusual sound come from a ring before, though."

"We can look for it in the morning."  Harry said with a yawn.  He then shivered again.  "I'm going to bed.  It's bound to be a lot warmer in there then it is in here!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you to Lisse Granger, ZOZ, Unregistered, Kristin Angelus, Phoenix Tears,

 bookywurm, Allisandra, blu crystal angel,

Isalena, Nala, and Jill Pole for reviewing.  If I've forgotten anyone, I'm sorry, and I'll try to include you in the next chapter.

On terms of Audry's accent, I tried my best to base it on my own feeble one.  When she says "ye", it's not pronounced "yeeeee", but kinda like "yuh".  Get it?  Good.  Oh, and the "de, dere, dat" thing is something that my cousin from the Bronx does, and I picked it up for a few months after I met her.  ~*grins*~ if you have any suggestions for additions to her accent, don't hesitate to e-mail me.  Oh, and her usage of big words?  Just because she doesn't say things normally doesn't mean that she can't have a big vocab…right??

**THINGS TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:** A dream, a dance, weird quidditch people, the cleverly jammed in main plot, and a rat.  ~*climbs up on a chair and shrieks loudly*~


	3. Chapter Three: Prefect Blues

Chapter 3-Prefect Blues

Harry could feel nothing but cold—and how cold it was!  He blew on his hands to warm them up, but it felt as if he'd never been warm, never would be warm.  He glanced up when he felt another presence in the room, and saw a transparent figure who looked vaguely familiar.  He had dark, dark hair that stuck up in all places, and cold, deep brown eyes.  He half-walked, half-floated over to the small circle of men in the room, and began to speak.

"She has returned to England," he said simply.  Who's "she?" Harry wondered.  He kept his thoughts to himself, however, and kept listening.

"What?" another voice said, sending shivers down his already trembling spine, and Harry believed his lips and fingers had gone blue.  "How can that be?  It's past the fifth year of life!"  Harry furrowed his brow.  What were they talking about?

"Nevertheless, she has returned."

"Is she at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."  The ghost's eyes began to burn with an inner flame Harry had only seen in one person's eyes before.  The second man stepped forward, and Harry gasped.  It was Voldemort!

"You can fight if you wish, but you'll never break free," he said to the struggling ghost.  The ghost spat on Voldemort, who shivered slightly and frowned.  He pulled out his wand and, much to Harry's surprise, pointed it at the ghost.

"Crucio!"

~*~

            Harry sat bolt upright in the dark of his dormitory, cold and sweaty and breathing hard.  His scar burned like fire on his forehead.  A slight cry reached his ears from the common room, so he got quickly out of bed and headed down to see what the problem was_._  Audry was laying on the floor, also breathing hard, the same purple fleece blanket around her on the floor.

"What's the matter?" he asked curiously.

"N-nothing…bad dream."  She gazed around, her eyes practically leaving gouge marks on the walls and furniture.  "It…um, it startled me, that's all."  She took a deep breath and lifted herself off the floor.  The blanket, now lying forgotten on the floor, had hidden a light blue tank top that was very tight and very low.  Harry gulped slightly and averted his eyes.

"I'm going back up to bed.  By the way, why weren't you in your room?" he asked her, turning as he started to head back to his dormitory.

"I get the feeling that Hermione doesn't like me for some reason.  I haven't figured out why."

"So…you're not staying there because you think Hermione will snub you or something?"

"Exactly.  Well, if it's warmer up there then it is down here, I think I'll go up too.  Good night!"

"'Night."  Harry turned again and suddenly stopped when he heard Audry humming.  The song was so familiar.  He shrugged, thinking he'd heard it on the radio at the Dursley's or something and went back up to bed.

~*~

"Who got up late last night?  Was that you?" Ron asked Harry the next morning as the two of them dressed.

"Yeah," Harry told him, finally locating a pair of socks that weren't all stretched out.  "I heard someone in the common room, so I went to go check it out."  The two of them bumped into Hermione and Audry in the common room.

"Morning," Audry said with a barely suppressed yawn.

"Didn't sleep well?" Ron asked, pushing open the portrait guarding Gryffindor tower.

"No; I had weird dreams last night."

"You too?" Ginny Weasley said, popping up behind them.  "I dreamed that I was flying upside down over a pineapple cake using a licorice wand for a broom!"  They all laughed and Audry grinned at her.

"You must've had too many sweets last night!"

"Oo, look!  Schedules!"  Hermione cried, reaching for one out of a pile that was suddenly thrust magically into her hands.  Harry's hands were also full.  He looked at the first one on top.  The card read, "FIRST THROUGH THIRD" in big, bold letters.

"See you all later," he said wearily, fingering the necklace that Hermione had given him for his birthday.  She must have seen him touch it, for she smiled warmly at him and set off, handing the cards out to the owners.  He heard Ron groan loudly and emit a small string of explicatives as he realized that they were still stuck with the Slytherins in Potions.

"Why can't McGonagall just put us with the Hufflepuffs for once?" he roared over Ginny's excited squeal.  Harry pulled out the first years' schedules and riffled through them.  Sighing heavily, he handed the bunch to them, glad that those ones, unlike the fourth through seventh years, didn't have specific names that they were supposed to go to.

When he had finally finished ten minutes later, he gazed around the table, looking for Ron or Hermione.  He spotted Fred Weasley first, who saw him at the same time.  Fred stood up and walked over to him.

"Happy with your schedule?" he asked jovially.

"I haven't even gotten the chance to see it yet," Harry answered, reaching for an empty glass.  He located the nearest pitcher of juice and poured it into the cup.

"That's because you didn't do enough naughty things," Fred said, a mourning tone in his voice.  Harry snorted into his glass.

"Naughty things?" he said with a laugh.  Fred shrugged.

"In any case, George and I have decided that we're going to be the new c-"

"Says who?" Katie Bell, the Gryffindor chaser, walked up behind Fred and looked at Harry.  When she saw the prefect badge on Harry's robes, her eyes widened a little bit.  "You're a prefect?"

"Yeah," Harry said sadly.  She raised an eyebrow but let it lie.  "When's the first match of the year?"

"Oh, come on; you're not really going to let these two be captain, are you?"

"I don't care _who's_ captain!"  He said, exasperated.  "Just so long as we can play!"

"We also need one new chaser and a keeper," Alicia Spinnet, another of Harry's Quidditch teammates said from behind Harry, making him jump.  "Know anyone who might be a good candidate?"

"Nope," Harry said.  "Well, maybe Ron."

"Are you kidding?" George said, joining them with his mouth half full with a piece of toast.  "He's an okay keeper, but he'd never want to be on a school team.  He prefers to watch, as far as I know.  He does like to play for fun, though."  Harry grinned at them.

"What, you don't call what we do fun?"

"When you have someone like Wood for captain, you're better off going pro," Fred pointed out.

"I say one of you four should be captain; you've had the most experience with quidditch."  Harry said, changing the subject.

"Why don't we discuss this later?" Katie suggested.  "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."  She then left with Alicia hot on her trail, the two of them talking about something to do with Flitwick's class.  Harry shrugged and looked around again for Ron and Hermione.  He saw them sitting near the end closest to the top table.  Hermione had her nose glued to her DADA book, whereas Ron was thoroughly engrossed in a conversation with Audry.  Harry shook his head and walked over, helping himself to a bagel in front of Hermione's book.  She looked up when she felt his arm brush her shoulder and smiled.

"Where have you been?" she asked as he sat down.

"Impromptu quidditch meeting," he said around a chunk of the bagel.

"Hmm," she murmured, taking a sip of the liquid in the mug that was in her left hand and turned the page.

"Is that all you're having?" Ron asked suddenly, looking hungrily at Hermione's near-empty plate.  Hermione looked up.

"Why?"

"I just want the bagels if it is; they look delicious, don't they?"

"They _are_ good," Harry said through another mouthful.  Hermione shrugged and pushed the plate towards Ron.  Audry narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.  Again Harry heard the faint whispering in his head that he had heard at the feast the night before.  He tried to tune into it, furrowing his brow in concentration.  Again it evaded him, and he sat down and tried to ignore it.

Harry sat undisturbed for the rest of the meal.  He listened to Ron and Audry's argument about the best sport ("Soccer!"  "No, it's quidditch, stupid!"  "Oh, so now you're calling me stupid?") and vaguely watched Hermione leaf through her book.  Harry and Ron were just getting up to show Audry around the grounds for a bit ("Soccer!") when Dumbledore also rose from a heated argument between several of the teachers and tapped his fork against his glass of oj.  Everyone stopped talking almost immediately—Dumbledore _never_ had anything to say on weekends.

"The teachers and I have decided to hold a mini-ball for the older students in two weeks.  The fourth years and above are invited.  As the first through third years held small parties in their common rooms last year during the Yule Ball, we have also decided to hold a party for them in one of the roomier dungeons.  Have a wonderful weekend!"

"A mini-ball?" Audry moaned.  "What am I going to wear? (Soccer!)"

~*~

The only thing everyone talked about for the rest of the weekend was the upcoming dance.  Audry had sent out an order form given to her by (surprise, surprise) Hermione, who was still being cold as ice towards her, for a pair of dress robes.  Neither girl would reveal what it looked like, though Parvarti Patil and Lavender Brown, the two gossip queens of Gryffindor, heavily discussed about what it might look like.  There were many versions, ranging from see-through black silk finery that should only be seen by one self to a luxurious gown made of satin that was popular in the 1600s.  Audry enjoyed all the attention but gave no answers, and turned down every request from every boy ranging from the shyest first year to the snobbiest seventh year.  On Monday morning during breakfast as Harry entered the great hall, he noticed Draco Malfoy cornering Audry, trying to talk to her.  She sneered and said something that Harry couldn't hear, but the back of Malfoy's neck and his ears went bright pink.  Audry stalked past him, making sure to bump his shoulder hard as she passed.

"Of all the nerve," she growled, angrily throwing food onto her plate.

"What is it?" Hermione asked idly, rummaging through her bag.

"Draco Malfoy…hah!  What a joke…a sick, demented joke, that is…"

"What's a sick demented joke?" Ron and Harry asked in unison, but Harry had a slight idea of what was bothering her so much.

"He asked me to the ball!  Excuse me while I go puke out what little is in my stomach at the moment…disgusting!"  She kept murmuring as she stomped out of the room, something that brought a small smile to Hermione's face.

"You know, I'm starting to like that girl," she said, grabbing a cup and pouring herself a very tiny amount of apple juice.

The first class of the day, much to Harry and Ron's annoyance, was Divination.  Audry seemed slightly curious about it, as she had it too.  Hermione waved to them as usual as the friends split up, heading towards her Arithmancy class.

"What does she do in there anyway?" Audry asked as she panted while they were three staircases from the top of the tower.

"No idea," Ron answered.  "Don't talk to me until we get up there…I think I'll collapse from lack of energy!"  Luckily for Harry and Audry he didn't, and they got to the top with time to spare.  No one else was there yet, but Harry could hear high-pitched laughter from a few flights down, meaning that Lavender and Parvarti were approaching.

The trap door opened mysteriously when the two girls reached the top, both pink faced and out of breath.  Harry climbed up first and grabbed a seat closest to the window.  He opened it a few inches to let some of the perfumed air that he remembered only all too well to be the cause of sleeping in class out of the window.  When Audry stuck her head up through the hole, she looked around, sniffed, and sneezed violently.  There was a loud crash when she hit the ground below, and Lavender and Parvarti came up looking very annoyed.

"Who pushed her?"

"No one; she sneezed."  Ron said with a smile.

"What a violent sneeze, my dear," Professor Trelawney said in her mystical voice as she entered from some unseen door near the far left-hand corner of the room.  Harry jumped slightly.  He had forgotten about her strange entering habits over the summer.  When she saw whom the owner of the sneeze was, her eyes widened slightly.  "It cannot be," she murmured loud enough for all the students to hear.  She opened her mouth to say something else, and then shook her head.  Audry rolled her eyes and plunked down beside Ron and Harry, her hair flopping around.  She sighed and blew a puff of air towards an offending lock of hair to settle it into a different spot.

"Jeez, it's hot up here!  Professor, may I open a window?"

"And disturb the clairvoyant vibrations of my tower?  Certainly, not!"

"But that one's open a bit already!  If we open it a bit more, it's not going to let any out.  Besides, I think I'm allergic to whatever incense you've used in here."  And with that, she sneezed again, throwing herself from the pouf.  Professor Trelawney was giving her a look quite like the one that she often gave Hermione back in Harry and Ron's third year.  Harry tried to stifle a smile, and heard Ron give out a strange strangling sound that might have been covering a snigger.  Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, who were standing on the ladder, listened to Audry as she let out her small and 'disturbing' speech and then caused the sound of two more loud thumps at the bottom of the ladder, followed by roaring laughter could be heard quite clearly.  Professor Trelawney's face mirrored the look of anger that Professor McGonagall often wore when regarding her students after one of them did something naughty in her classes.

"Let us get started, then," she said sharply.  Harry chanced a glance at Audry.  Her lips were twitching as if she were trying to contain a grin.  When the eerie teacher turned away, she let the smile grow to consume her entire face.  The quiet whispering that had been bothering Harry started up in his mind again, and this time instead of trying to catch it, he ignored it, hoping that it would just leave him alone.

"Crazy old hag!"  Audry whispered in his ear suddenly.

"She always has been," Harry whispered back.

"We will be going over everything that we have learned in the past two years this year for the upcoming OWLs."  Audry's hand shot up into the air, causing Harry and Ron to duck in fear of being hit.  Professor Trelawney blinked.

"What are 'OWLs'?" she asked curiously.

"A test that all fifth years must take," she answered crisply.  She opened her mouth to say something else and Audry's arm was in the air again.

"You mean, an exam?"

"No, it's more difficult than an exam.  Now can we _please_ move on to the subject that I teach?  Thank-you, Ms…"

"Just Audry.  No last name," she added when Professor Trelawney opened her mouth to disapprove.

"Alright then.  We will start again with the tea le- what _is_ it, Ms…Audry?"

"Tea leaves are an extremely imprecise order of Divination, Professor; the shapes would look different to each person who looked at it.  Wouldn't we be much better off doing something like crystal ball reading?"

"My dear, you do not _read_ a crystal ball," she snapped waspishly.  Audry looked slightly confused.

"If you don't call that reading, then what is it?"

"It's…my dear, if you're really that curious, I would be happy to explain it to you after class.  Now, would everybody please go over to the china cabinet and take one blue teacup?  Neville, please wait till everyone else is done and move slowly when you're getting one.  Oh, and stay away from the top shelf."  Harry, Audry, and Ron stood up to go get cups from the cupboard, and while they did, Audry began to snicker.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked while reaching over Seamus' head to grab a cup.

"She's not a real Seer!"  She snorted.

"We've known that for years," Harry told her.

"They've put up for her for that long?"

When nobody spoke, Ron supplied, "There was another teacher before her, but she disappeared before Voldemort's downfall.  It was all hushed up, but Charlie, my second oldest brother," he said as Audry looked slight confused, "was at the school at the time, and he took Divination for some strange reason.  You wouldn't be able to get anyone to talk about it, and it's not recorded anywhere."  The three of them went and sat back down, cups clasped tightly in their hands, and waited for Professor Trelawney to pour them some tea.

"You know, I really wish there was some other liquid that did this that we could drink," Audry stated, wrinkling her nose at the bitter taste of the drink.  "I don't like tea very much.  I drink juice more often, but that doesn't leave dregs."  She polished off the cup with a grimace and a slight shudder, and then passed her cup to Ron, who was still drinking his.  Harry turned and looked out the open window, which Professor Trelawney still hadn't closed, and sipped his.  Audry sat with a bored expression on her face, her chin cradled in her hands.

Ten minutes later, they were all thoroughly engrossed in explaining what shapes they saw in the cups.  Ron mentioned Seeing several large boulders in Audry's cup.  She furrowed her brow at the comment while Harry sniggered.

"Well, you have a large cat in here—no, two large cats," she corrected herself, reading Harry's cup.

"Cats?  I don't like cats very much."

"I didn't say that you did.  I just said that there were two cats, that's all.  And they're not house cats.  Look here," she said, pointing at it and leaning over.  Harry peered over her shoulder and looked.  Sure enough, plain as day, there were to cats, one with a ruff around its neck, possibly a mane, and the other had strips missing from it.

"Their tails are entwined," Harry said.  "I wonder what that means."

"Dunno.  But look at this!  It's a fish…like, Pisces?"

"That's strange…my birthday's in July, not March."

"Maybe it means something else…?"

"Like what?"

"Maybe we're having fish for dinner," Ron interrupted them.  Harry shrugged and looked at his cup.

"Err…" he said, turning the cup.  "Talk about strange…get a load of this!"  He showed the other two his and Audry's cups combined.  "Look at this!  They're almost exactly the same!  Well, with the exception of these two squiggly lines in yours, Audry."  Audry stared.

"That_ is_ strange."

"That's not supposed to happen, is it?"

"My dears, your destinies are intertwined," Professor Trelawney said from behind them.  She pointed to the fish, the cats, and to a strange blob that Harry couldn't make out.  "The fish: to understand; two cats, intertwined at the tails: life meetings that were not and never will be completely separated; and—no!"  She gasped.  Harry sighed.  Audry frowned.

"Now what?" she asked haughtily.

"The Grim!"  She wailed.  Audry's look of disbelief faded and turned to fear, which could only be seen in her eyes.  A throbbing bell rang from a great distance below them.  Harry began to pack up his stuff and kicked open the trap door.

"Well, she's managed to get Audry off the hook," Ron said sarcastically as they waited for her at the top of the stairs.

"Did you see her face though?" Harry asked, slightly confused.  "Did you see her face all through when Trelawney was giving her speech?"

"No; why?"

"Remember how I told you what Trelawney did at the third year exams?  When she made the prediction that Wormtail would go back do Voldemort?" Ron flinched when Harry finished the sentence.

"Yeah, what's the point?"

"She had the—"

"Wait up, guys!"  Audry interrupted him as she stepped off the ladder, her bag swinging wildly from her shoulder.  Her expression had completely changed, and she was once again cheerful.

"I'll tell you later," Harry whispered as she joined up with them.

~*~

"I can't believe one teacher could be so mean to a whole house!"  Audry remarked as she, Ron, Harry, and Hermione left Potions just before lunch.

"He's always been like that," Ron said mournfully.  Audry grinned at him.

"I could fix that for him with a cheering charm," she said, fingering her wand.  Though Harry dearly wished that he could see Snape smiling without menace towards the students, he had a feeling that all four of them would be in deep trouble, no matter who had done it.

"I'll talk to you guys later," Hermione said, branching off when they reached the corridor towards the library.  "I need to look something up for my Arithmancy class."

"See you downstairs, then," Harry said, and he and Ron waved to her as she walked out of sight.  Harry looked back to Audry and saw her frowning again.

"What's up?" Ron asked, seeing the expression too.

"Something's just buggin' me, that's all," she told him.  Just to prove it was nothing, she replaced the frown with her heart-melting smile.  Ron just about did melt on the spot, and it took every shred of will that Harry had to keep from laughing out loud.

The rest of the walk down to the Great Hall was uneventful.  Harry was quiet, thinking about the tea leaves.  What had been read in them was much different then what was in it during his third year.  Professor Trelawney had been predicting bad things would happen to him for the entire year.  This time, it seemed that his and Audry's destinies were intertwined for some reason.  It just didn't make any sense.

They arrived in the Great Hall ten minutes later to the cheerful noisiness that it always was.  Harry grabbed a seat quickly, actually having to scuffle his way into one to avoid being trampled by a burly new sixth year who seemed to be having a row with someone halfway down the table.

"Too many people here," Harry yelled to Ron over the noise.  There was some cheering, followed quickly by what sounded like skin hitting more skin.  Harry sighed and got up, deciding to use his prefect duties and to stop the fight.  Once he got over to where the fight was occurring, he discovered that it had already been taken care of by Cho Chang, who was glaring at the sixth year.  She looked up when she heard Harry coming.

"Solved the problem?" he asked her.

"Yeah.  You know, new students, trying to fit in, causing problems…" she trailed off with a shrug.  Both of them stood there for a few moments, just looking (though trying not to) at each other.  Harry opened his mouth to speak at the same time that Cho did, making up his mind within a split second.

"D'you want to go to the mini ball with me?" Harry asked before she could form the words.  She quickly closed her mouth and smiled.

"You know, I was just about to ask you the exact same thing.  Sure, I'd love to go."  Harry smiled widely, his stomach full of butterflies, and turned back to the Gryffindor table.

"Okay, then.  See you."

"Bye," she waved to him and walked off towards the Ravenclaw table.  Harry headed back over to his seat, and found Ron thoroughly engrossed in a conversation with the American, explaining something that Harry couldn't hear.  When he sat down next to Ron, he looked up.

"What were you doing talking to Cho?" he asked.

"Prefect stuff," he said simply.  Ron grinned as Audry butted in.

"No you weren't.  You were too busy asking her to the ball to talk about prefect stuff."  When Harry blushed, Ron's mouth fell open.

"You asked a sixth year to the mini ball?" he said, astounded.

"Who _cares_?" Audry asked.  She grabbed a bowl that was near Harry's elbow and filled it to the brim with soup.  "In any case, at least he _has_ a date, unlike _some_ people here."  She elbowed Ron in the stomach when she said that, causing him to spit a large portion of his mouthful onto the tablecloth.  He glared at her before continuing to spoon the scalding soup into his mouth.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked when most people were leaving to go to their next class.  "She said she'd meet us down here, and she never did.  What do we have next?"

"Umm…DADA, it seems.  Audry?"

"Same here.  We have all the same courses, it seems."  She and Ron huddled closer together, pointing out the classes that they had that were the same.  Harry checked his watch.

"We should get moving, guys, whether or not Hermione has showed up yet.  We have two minutes, and we'll never get there in time now in any case."  Audry leapt to her feet and grabbed her bag.

"You showed us where that class was, right?" she asked.

"No, I don't think we did.  Come on, if we run, we _might_ be able to make it on time."  The three of them took off for the staircase, oblivious to the rat with a silver claw sitting just underneath the bench.

**A/N**:  Be thankful!  I actually got this out on time!  I'm trying my hardest to do the same with chapter four, but I have a slight case of something teachers enjoy bestowing on us, the students.  It's something called homework (maybe you've heard of it?) and I have LOADS of it!  I need to have it all done before I go camping from the 17th to the 20th.  Oh, did I mention that chapter 5 won't be coming out until either the 16th or the 21st?  It all depends on how much I have done, though if you all vote for the 21st, I can promise that there _might_ be a bit more.  Like I said, it all depends (and not only on me—thanks so much to BBOBB (spelling?) for doing such a wonderful job on beta-reading these past few chapters, and I can say that I'm looking foreword to the next few.  Kudos for Nova!


	4. Chapter Four: The MiniBall

Chapter 4-The Mini Ball

Harry, Ron, and Audry raced down the hall towards the DADA hallway, Harry searching his mind for any shortcut in the vicinity.  He remembered the Marauder's Map at that moment, and how he had given it to Barty Crouch Jr. the year before.  _I don't think I ever got it back,_ he thought before having the wind knocked out of him as he rounded a corner.  Clutching his stomach and banging into Audry, he watched as Hermione stumbled back into the side-corridor that she had come out of, gasping in pain.

"Where have you been?" Audry asked, savagely pushing a wheezing Harry aside to get to the prefect.

"Wh-where I told you!" she panted wearily, planting her hands on her knees as she breathed.  "Library!"

"For an hour?"

"I had homework from Arithmancy this morning!" Hermione retorted.  The bell sounded and all four of them groaned and began to run again.

"Well, what do we have here?" an oily voice asked from behind them as they ran into yet another hallway.  Harry groaned internally and turned to see Severus Snape walking with a vindictive smile on his face, as usual.

"Nothing, Mr. Snape," Audry said, turning to face him.  Harry looked at Ron, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be praying.  Snape's eyes narrowed slightly at the strange American.

"Get to your class before I give you all detention," he said in his most silky voice.  Harry, surprised at his good luck for the morning, broke into a run towards the DADA classroom.  He entered it, followed quickly by Audry, Ron, and Hermione, and the four of them flooded into a table near the back of the room.

"So, the Gryffindor prefects are late, I see," Sirs said, entering the classroom.

"We were held up by the Potions master, or we would have been here faster," Audry said, holding up her hand politely.  Sirs smiled.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that it wasn't because you forgot the time and had to run up here."  Harry glanced at Audry and saw that she was attempting to hide a smile.  Confused, Harry looked around at the rest of his classmates and saw the same look of adoration on each girl's face.  He shook his head.

"Ron, look around and tell me what you see."  Ron scanned the classroom.

"Er…no one's asleep for once?"

"No, stupid," Hermione butted in.  "Look at everyone!"  Ron looked around again.

"Hey…what's with the looks all the girls are giving Sirs?"

"We have another Lockhart on our hands," Harry said with a meaningful grin at Hermione, who frowned as Ron sniggered.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked haughtily.

"Oh, nothing."  Harry grinned at her, causing her to scowl more forcefully than she had all morning.

"Okay, for those of who that have not come across me over the weekend, I am Professor Edward Sirs, your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for, I hope, the next three years.  You have gone through—" Sirs looked at a piece of paper on his desk and counted.  "Interesting," he mumbled to himself before looking back up at the class.  "Four teachers already, one per year as it seems.  But, as I'm not a follower of Lord Voldemort, I don't have a fixation with memory charms, I'm not a werewolf that Professor Snape particularly hates, and I'm not wanted by the Dementors for any reason…well, not one that I can think of at the moment," he said to scattered laughter, "I think I'll last longer than the rest.  Anyway, open your books to page five and read the section on casting Patronuses.  I promise you, it's not very long."

Harry sighed heavily.  He had known how to cast a Patronus since his third year.  When Dementors had come to the first quidditch match of the season, Harry had fallen fifty feet from his broom to the ground.  He had decided that he should learn how to defend himself from one after that.  He opened his book anyway and read through what they had to say about them.

The Patronus is a very useful spell, since it can be used against dangerous beasts to save one's life.  Warlock Michael Patroni first designed the spell as a means of protecting himself against the lethifold lair in his backyard, as the lethifolds had attacked his village not once, but fifteen times, killing each time.

No two Patronuses are the same, just as no two witches or wizards are the same.  The forms that Patronuses take on range from exotic animals (Thestral winged horses*) to actual human form, though it's quite rare to have one, and only three people have been recorded to have a human Patronus.

Harry yawned and scanned the rest of the page, not really interested in learning the history of the spell.  He was sure that if he came across another dementor in his life, he wouldn't tell it, "Oh, by the way, did you know that this spell that I'm going to use to drive you away from me was invented by a guy who just wanted to protect his village from lethifolds?"  He smirked slightly at the thought and began to gaze unseeingly out the window.

"Not interested, Mr. Potter?" Sirs asked from above him.

"Hmm?  Er…no, Professor.  It's just…I already know how to cast the spell."

"But the history of the spell isn't important?" Sirs said with a raised eyebrow.  Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Well, Professor," Audry butted in, "it's not like I'll walk up to a lethifold and say, 'did you know that twenty-seven percent of all qualified witches and wizards can perform this spell properly?'  In that case," she said suddenly,  "why _are_ we learning the spell?"

"Ms. Audry—"

"Just Audry," she interrupted.

"Audry, didn't you say you already know the spell?"

"Well, yes, but I doubt even half of the people here have the ability to produce even an insubstantial Patronus.  And I also bet that you, Harry, and I are the only people in here that can conjure one that has a form!"  Sirs clapped his hands twice.

"Everyone, pull out your wands.  Ms.—sorry, Audry has just bet that none of you can conjure a proper patronus."  Several of the Gryffindors gave her a withering look.  "And since you challenged us, you get to go first."  Audry stood up and pulled her wand out of her sleeve.

"Ready?" she asked Sirs.

"Go ahead."

"_Expecto Patronum_!" She shouted.  Out of the end of her wand erupted a huge shape that took form of a roaring lioness.  It landed gracefully in front of Audry, a fierce growl rumbling in its throat.  It turned its head and looked straight into Harry's eyes.  For a moment, Harry could have sworn that they glowed green.  Seeing no apparent danger in the room, the cat slowly vanished.  The way it did so reminded Harry of a movie that he and Dudley had watched when they were young, where the cat all but disappeared, with the exception of its smile, which floated eerily in the air.  Aunt Petunia had turned it off at that point, saying that it would give them nightmares.

"Very good," he said to Audry, who walked back to her seat.  "Ms. Granger, why don't you go next?"

"Alright," she said, standing up.  She walked up to the front of the room, flicked her wand and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"  A slight wisp of smoke came out of the tip of her wand and circled around her.  It flared suddenly, hiding her from view.

"That's enough, Hermione," Sirs said.  Hermione came into view once more, the smoke swirling up uncertainly before disappearing completely.  The prefect returned to her seat shakily, as though she'd gone through strenuous physical activity.

"You okay?" Audry asked.  Hermione glanced at her, not even a trace of a smile on her face.

"I'm fine," she snapped.  Audry looked taken aback.

"Jeez, ya don't need to bite my head off," she murmured.

"Mr. Thomas?" Sirs called from the front, puncturing the look Hermione was flashing Audry.  Dean stood up.  When he tried to cast the spell, nothing happened, so he tried three more times before Sirs stopped him.

"It doesn't always work on the first try.  Just to let you know, very few qualified wizards have mastered this spell, so even a non-formed patronus, like Ms. Granger's, is a great accomplishment."

"How come Audry could do it, then?" Lavender Brown asked, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

"When I was twelve, my school was put to siege by rogue Dementors.  The teachers taught it to everyone so that we could protect ourselves, and so that we could fight.  Well, so the older students could fight, anyway!"

"You were twelve?" Sirs said in surprise.

Audry shrugged.  "I wasn't the youngest one to learn in any case.  I believe a girl named Elizabeth Tucker was, and she was only eight!"  Sirs sat down in his chair.

"Well, then.  Mr. Potter, show us what you can do."  Harry pushed back his chair as he stood up, perfectly aware that every set of eyes in the room was on him.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Harry half yelled, thinking hard about his exhilaration of winning the quidditch cup in his third year.  A strange feeling filled the air surrounding Harry.  As the familiar shape of the stag flowed out of his wand, the room seemed to flicker strangely before his eyes.  Its hooves clomping almost soundlessly on the floor of the room, the stag looked around.  It turned and it seemed, to Harry, to catch Sirs' eye.  Sirs paled as the stag did something Harry couldn't see, and then it turned and faced the students.  Again, Harry swore that the eyes had turned green again, and then it vanished suddenly, most unlike Audry's lioness.  The front most rows of students started.

Sirs went through the rest of the class in a hurry.  Several more students produced the light smoke like Hermione, but theirs didn't mask them as hers had.  To everyone's surprise, the other new Gryffindor who had called himself Tucker Glims cast a flawless giant black spider, which caused Ron to fall off his chair in fright.  Audry shot Harry a confused look, so he explained Ron's immense fear of the eight-legged creatures.  She hauled him up from his hair no more than three seconds after Harry had finished telling her that.

"Ron, it can't hurt you!" She hissed to his bright red face, her small hands still firmly gripping his flaming hair.  "It's just a patronus."  Ron muttered a few choice swear words under his breath, which gained a glare from Hermione and a small shove from Audry.

"Your homework for tonight," Sirs said over the noise of books and papers being put back into bags, "is to write, in five or more sentences, why it is so difficult to cast a proper patronus.  And for those of you successfully cast one, write an additional four sentences on why you cast that particular one.  Due Wednesday."  After a thought or two, he added, "Ten points for the best reason."  Harry glanced at Hermione, knowing she would most likely be the one to receive the points.

"Harry, why do you think yours was a deer?" Audry asked him.

"Stag, actually," Ron corrected.

"It looked like a deer to me," Audry argued innocently.

"Well," Harry interrupted as Ron opened his mouth to correct Audry again.  "My dad's animagus form was a stag.  I think that's why."

"Oh," Audry said in an almost disappointed tone of voice.  Harry shrugged it off and flung his bag over his shoulder.  "What do we have next?" she asked as they left the room.

"Er," Ron said, rummaging around in his bag for the schedule.  He wrinkled his nose when he saw it.

"What's wrong?" Audry asked.

"History of Magic," Ron said dully.  "The only thing good about this class—"

"History!" Audry nearly shouted.  "I _love_ history!  It was my favorite course in New York!"

"Well, be prepared to fall asleep," Ron said with a slight grin.  "This class is so boring that it puts Hermione to sleep!"

"That was only once, Ron," Hermione pointed out.  "It was both of your faults, if I remember correctly."

Audry raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, for goodness sakes!" Hermione said, blushing.  "We were up talking until four in the morning!"

Audry looked away, mouthing an exaggerated, "Oo-kaaaay…."

"Hey, speaking of which, how did your little vacation with Viktor Krum go?" Ron asked slyly.

"In any case," Hermione said, ignoring Ron's last comment, though her cheeks did flush a little, "I wasn't asleep.  Ah!  Here we are."  And with that, she opened the door to the room and walked in.

"You do realize that she didn't answer your question, don't you, Ron?" Audry pointed out as they walked in after her.  "And who the heck is Viktor Krum?"

~*~

Audry, as it turned out, was true to her word about her love for history.  In fact, she asked Professor Binns multiple questions, something not done since their second year when Hermione asked about the Chamber of Secrets.  Audry's questions kept everyone awake, because students watched in amazement as the American managed to annoy their professor to no end, it seemed.

"We haven't had a History of Magic class that funny since…well, never!" Ron exclaimed as they left for Gryffindor tower.

"I thought Binns would explode after you asked him why Merlin didn't warn Arthur about Morgana," Harry said with a slight grin.  "What about you, 'Moine?"

Hermione had a sour look on her face.  Audry laughed.

"Your face will freeze that way if you're not careful, Hermione," Audry told her.  Hermione snorted.

"Sure, and the sun will rise in the west tomorrow."

"It's a good thing that you didn't say, 'and pigs will fly'; don't look now, but one is coming towards the school from the little cottage back there!"  Audry pointed out the nearby window, towards Hagrid's hut.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione peered out and saw a small bright blue pig with even smaller white wings soaring in circles above the ground.  Harry noticed that a length of rope hung from around its neck and trailed on the ground.

"What kind of animal is _that_?" Hermione exclaimed in disgust.

"I think they're called piggeltywinks," Ron said in a slightly surprised tone.  "They're supposed to be very rare, never seen in Great Britain, and quite difficult to catch, if they get loose.  Well, unless you can fly, that is."

"Well then, what is this one doing at Hogwarts?" Audry asked curiously, moving on towards the Gryffindor common room.

"I have the feeling that we'll find out on Wednesday," Harry said, checking his schedule.  "That's when we have Care of Magical Creatures."

"Anyway, I'm starved," Audry said as her stomach rumbled loudly.  "What do you think is for dinner?"

"Anything but pig, most likely," Ron muttered.

Fred caught Harry as he was heading up the stairs to his dormitory that night and dragged him over to commune with the rest of the team.

"I went and asked McGonagall about who gets to be captain.  All five of us are qualified, since it has to go to a member who has both been on the team for four years and a fifth year or above."

"Well," Alicia said, "that makes sense."

"Couldn't we do this tomorrow?" Harry asked with a yawn.

"Fine, then," George said crisply.  "Quidditch practice at 5:30—sharp!"  A collective groan was issued from everyone but the twins.

"That's when we're eating!" Katie argued.

"Tough.  Harry wanted to discuss this tomorrow. If that cuts into your precious eating time, that's just too bad."  Half disgusted, half amused by the responsible actions both twins were showing, Harry walked up the stairs and fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

~*~

_"Everything is going according to plan, Master," a sniveling voice said.  Harry looked around for the source of the voice but saw only black hooded figures.  There were roughly sixty of them; more than there had been at Voldemort's rebirth in June.  "The girl didn't even have to ask the lion!"  Harry could now see the person who was speaking; it was a mirror-like image that floated in midair, portraying Wormtail's face._

_"Excellent," a cold, cruel voice said.  Harry shivered, the hair on the back of his neck standing up of its own accord._

_"My Lord, if I might ask, what is the purpose of this?" a new voice said from among the throng._

_"We must not permit the lion to meet his mate.  Another of Cassandra's prophecies tells of his meeting the lioness at this ball.  If we choose one who is most certainly not the lioness, the Death Eaters will survive and prosper.  And if we leave everything alone, you will al be very, very sorry indeed."_

_Harry's head began to spin strangely as Voldemort began to laugh._  And as he had three nights earlier, he sat bolt upright in his bed.  He winced in pain as his scar began to throb.

"Who are they talking about?" Harry mumbled to himself.

"Eh?" a groggy voice half called from the opposite side of the room.  "What's that?"

"Sorry, Neville, did I wake you?" Harry asked.

"Eurg…" a new voice groaned.  "You've woken me up as well."  A scream suddenly shattered the sleepy quiet as if it had been made of glass, just as a loud thump announced the vacancy of someone's bed.  Harry fumbled hurriedly with his curtains, ripping one of the hoops from a hook.

"What the hell…?" Ron said through the darkness.  Three more groans and sleepy murmurs told Harry that the rest of the room was awake.

"Who d'you—" Harry started to say before four separate screams echoed through the tower.  Harry recognized one that he hadn't heard since his first year.

"Hermione!" He and Ron yelled in unison.  They sprinted to the door and yanked it open, Harry fumbling slightly since he didn't have his glasses on.  He tripped on the hem of his sweat pants and half-skidded down the carpet stairs while trying to keep running.  The result was landing painfully on his rear, then falling down the remainder of the stairs, tripping Ron in the process.  The fourth year girls' dormitory had been flung open and Ginny stuck her disheveled head out of it.

"What's going on?" she asked as the two boys got to their feet.

"Dunno," Harry said.  He looked up and saw the redhead blush slightly.

"Rat!" Came a new cry from only a few feet above them.

"You're kidding me," Ron groaned.

"HaaaAARRY!" Hermione's voice screamed.  "IT'S WORMTAIL!"  Ginny looked slightly confused as Ron gasped and Harry's head snapped towards the fifth year girls' dormitory.  The door cracked open slightly and a fat gray rat flew down the stairs, trailing Audry, who kept throwing random curses at it; Lavender, who was carrying a shoe as if it were a brick; and Parvarti, who had a broomstick raised over her head.  Harry peeked into the room and saw Hermione sitting on the floor, a bloody handkerchief wrapped around her thumb.  Harry squinted to see her properly and noticed tears streaming down her face.  In the common room below, Harry could hear Ron shouting, "Don't kill him; stun him!"

"He bit me," Hermione told him.  Harry came over and knelt down.  "Where are your glasses?" she asked before he pulled away the handkerchief.

"It's three in the morning, 'Moine," he used as an explanation.  Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her examining his face.  "What?"

"N-nothing," she stammered, quickly looking back down at her bloody hand.  Gingerly, she pulled off the handkerchief and showed it to Harry.  He drew in a large breath as he saw the large chunk that had been taken out of the tip of her thumb.

"Jeez!" he said as the blood continued to flow from the wound.  Hermione plucked at the near sodden handkerchief.

"Parvarti threw this at me when I started to drip on the floor," she explained.  "She wasn't too happy when—"

"Damn!" Audry cursed from the door.  Harry and Hermione both looked up to see her push some hair that had fallen from the loose bun from her eyes.  "It got away.  Ooh," she exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly as they came to rest on Harry's.  She then looked quickly to Hermione's hand when she realized that she had been staring.

"It's not nearly as bad as it looks," Hermione said, trying to get up.  She swayed dizzily and abruptly sat back down.  "I-I don't feel so good," she mumbled.

"Oh, Hermione," Audry groaned.  "It's just blood.  Look, we don't have to go to the infirmary."  She pulled out her wand and tapped Hermione's thumb.  After muttering something under breath that Harry couldn't hear, Hermione's thumb glowed golden and glittered for a few moments.  The bleeding stopped and ever so slowly, the cut began to heal.  Harry looked up at Audry's face and saw it was contorted with concentration.  She stopped and sat back on her heels.

"Well, that's the best I can do without draining every bit of energy in me!" she said cheerfully.  Harry watched as Hermione looked down at her finger.

"There's a scar," she informed them, rubbing a bit of the dried blood off of her finger.

"Well, I'm not perfect!" Audry chided her good-naturedly.  "And even if I am, would you rather have had me pass out from lack of magical energy in me?  That's very dangerous for a witch or wizard, in case your L.M.S.P. brain couldn't tell."

"L.M.S.P.?" Hermione said, confused.  Audry's face contorted in horror.

"Oh, no…I didn't…gah!" she cried, grabbing two large chunks of hair and yanking.  She turned back to Hermione, receiving a very strange look.  "I didn't mean that…well, it's good that you don't understand."

"What did you just say?" Hermione said, anger causing her voice to raise a few notes.

Audry mumbled something that neither Harry nor Hermione could make out.

"What?" they said in unison.

"Never mind," Audry said, sighing.  "We'd better get back to bed before—"

"Ms. Granger, Ms.—Audry, what is going on in here.  Mr. Potter!  You know better then to be in a girl's dormitory after hours, or even at all!"  Harry winced and turned around to see a very blurry Professor McGonagall.  He squinted to see her properly.  For a moment, she looked between Harry and Audry, and than shook her head saying, "Impossible…"

"We were screaming 'cause we…we saw a rat.  It was on Hermione's face," Audry told her.  Hermione scrunched up her nose and shuddered at the memory.

"You try waking up with the smell of rodent and little furry claws all over your face!" she said when McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

"When she told the rest of us there was a rat on her face, and after she flung it off—"

"Threw it off, Ms.—Audry."

"Yes, that," Audry said, waving an impatient hand around.  "We all started screaming, and then Parvarti yelled rat, and then I heard Ron say something about kidding, and then Hermione saw something and said that it was a wormtail, though I don't quite understand that part—"

"Said it was _what_?" McGonagall said, her face paling.

"A wormtail.  And then it bit Hermione—I haven't seen a bite nastier then that in _years_!—and then it escaped through the door.  We chased it down to the common room.  Ron kept telling me to stun him, but he escaped through a hole in the wall.  I think that's how it got in, too.  You might want to tell the custodian guy to patch it up."

Harry turned to Hermione.  _'Custodian guy'?_ he mouthed.  She shrugged, still favoring her thumb.  Harry looked back to McGonagall and saw that she was fighting to suppress a smile, though her face was still quite pale.

"Ms. Granger, you should go to the hospital wing to see to that finger," she told the prefect.  She shook her head and held it out.

"Audry did a reasonably good job healing it herself."

"Reasonably?  I stopped the bleeding and healed it, didn't I?"

"Audry, you left a scar," Hermione pointed out, getting to her feet.

"Well, since no one else is harmed, you should all get back in bed.  You have classes tomorrow, and Harry, as I understand, you have a quidditch practice—I would like to see Gryffindor win again."

"_What_?"  Harry made a face and smacked his head.  "I completely forgot.  What has gotten into those two?  Professor, maybe you should just make the Weasley twins _both_ captain."  Professor McGonagall started and then looked Harry up and down.

"Both of them?  That's never been done before.  I'll think about it, Mr. Potter.  For now, all of you should go get some rest."  She shooed Harry from the room as the Lavender and Parvarti walked up the stairs, defeated expressions on their faces.  When Parvarti looked up as Harry passed, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at his face.  Harry ignored her, thinking sleepily that his scar was sticking out again.  He headed up to the dormitory and fell into bed without even closing the curtains once more.

~*~

Harry awoke to two people shaking him so roughly that he thought his brain would pop out of his head.

"Harry, wake up!" one of them said in a voice that was vaguely familiar.  Harry groaned and rolled over.

"What do you want?" he asked sleepily, blinking as a bright light was shone into his eyes.

"Quidditch practice!"

"It's not even five thirty yet!"  Harry rolled over to look at his clock.  It read five thirty, on the nose.  "You meant five thirty in the morning?"

"Well, of course!  What did you expect, _after_ classes?" Harry glared at George as he said this.

"You tricked us!  You said 5:30, and everyone expected that you meant the afternoon, since _everyone_ knows you two would sleep 'till noon on a school day, given the choice."

"Well, this team needs to toughen up if we're going to win the Quidditch Cup again.  We barely scraped through two years ago; what makes you think that we'll be able to do it again?" Fred growled.  Harry sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

"The only reason we barely made it was because of the Dementors in the first match.  If they hadn't come, we would've won by two-hundred points!"  He got up and propped his trunk open against the foot of his bed.  "Now, would you care to explain _why_ you two are insisting on being so responsible?"

"Well, considering that this is our final year—"

"We wanted to go out with a bang.  We were never the students our parents wanted us to be—"

"But we _do_ want to be remembered as the troublemakers who straightened themselves out."  Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to follow in my father's and Sirius Black's footsteps?" Harry said, immediately regretting saying that.   Fred and George looked confused.

"What?  Sirius Black?" Fred asked.

"Never mind.  I'll be out in a few minutes," Harry said, stifling a yawn.  The twins were just almost to the door when Harry looked up again.  "If you two want to be co-captains, you've got my vote."  They both turned and looked at him like he was mad, but said nothing.

~*~

Harry could barely keep his eyes open during his classes that morning.  He felt as though all the energy in him had been sucked out and put into the teachers, who were teaching with more vigor than ever before.  During Charms, Harry ended up nodding off while Flitwick was discussing spells used to clean different items (tables, cars, humans, etc.).  He awoke to the door opening as Professor McGonagall swept into the room, followed by a confused and worried looking Padma Patil, Parvarti's twin.

"Professor Flitwick, may I borrow Ms. Patil for a moment?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.  Harry frowned and watched her expression.  McGonagall seemed like she was about to cry.  Harry squinted as Parvarti stood up, a bewildered expression on her face, and left the room, falling into step with her sister.

"Something's wrong," Audry said before Harry could open his mouth.

"Did you see the look on McGonagall's face?" he heard Lavender say to Seamus.  Seamus nodded.

"She looked just about to cry, or something," Neville added.  Flitwick clapped his hands to quiet down the rest of the room.

"Please fill out this worksheet on cleaning charms, due tomorrow.  Ms. Brown, I expect that you'll be able to give this to Ms. Patil?"

"Yes, Professor," she said as the worksheets flew through the air.  After easily filling in the blanks the worksheet provided, the Gryffindors readied their bags and waited patiently for the bell to ring, signaling the end of morning classes.  When it finally sounded, Harry got to his feet and walked out the door.  Audry frowned suddenly and slowed down.

"What's up?" Harry asked, turning around.

"Something's not right about the way McGonagall pulled Parvarti out of class.  And her twin…wasn't her name Pasma?"

"Padma," Ron corrected.

"Whatever," she said, waving a dismissive hand.  "Padma looked confused, and…well, almost scared.  I'd say something big is going to happen soon."  As they walked into the lunch hall, Hermione rubbing her right thumb thoughtfully, a tumult of sound met their ears.  Harry winced slightly and saw Audry cover her ears.  The whole of Hufflepuff seemed to be in tears, as with the Ravenclaws and a small portion of the Gryffindors.  The Slytherins were in a state of shock, and Harry noticed that Malfoy sat alone; Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on?" Harry yelled above the noise.

"No idea," Ron answered, shouting too.

"Why don't we ask someone?" Audry said, pointing to a few of the Gryffindors.  They walked over, Hermione still rubbing her thumb.

"What is going on?" she asked as they began to get close to the table.  Professor McGonagall suddenly tapped both her and Harry on the shoulders and beckoned them to follow her.  With a shrug, Harry and Hermione did so.

"We'll talk later," Audry yelled over the clamor.  Harry nodded.

They entered the room just off the Great Hall that had been used the previous year for the Triwizard Tournament.  Dumbledore stood in the center, a solemn look on his face.

"We have suffered a great loss today in the wizarding world," he said.  Harry heard someone sniffing as if they were crying and saw that Cho had tears rolling down her cheeks.  He furrowed his brow as he looked at her.  She turned her dark brown eyes to the floor and said nothing.  "Five students have lost their one or both of their parents to a struggle with Lord Voldemort."  Harry saw everyone flinch as he said Voldemort's name.  "Sam and Marie Patil—both very respected Aurors--, Douglas Finch-Fletchly, a Muggle."  When Dumbledore finished saying that, Justin Finch-Fletchly, the Hufflepuff Prefect, began to shake in grief, great sobs wracking his body.  The Head Girl wrapped her arms around him and let him cry into her shoulder, tears rolling down her own face.  "Voldemort's Death Eaters suffered two losses also—Timothy Crabbe and John Goyle."  Dumbledore stopped to clear his throat and look at the Head Boy, who seemed to be fighting back a smirk.

"W-why are you telling this to only us?" Hermione asked, clearly shocked at the events that had unfolded.

"You will be responsible for telling your houses.  The Hufflepuff and Slytherin house will have their Head Boy and Girl account for it instead of using the Prefects.  You will tell your students that the rest of the classes for the day have been canceled.  Any student who has questions should go to their head of house.  Professor Snape is not in the school at the moment, however, so I will be available for questions from your house, Mr. Snyder," he said, nodding his head towards the Head Boy.  He straightened up and, managing to control his face, nodded back.

"Potter, Granger, come with me for a moment," McGonagall said suddenly.  Harry looked confusedly at Hermione, but the two of them followed her once more.  She stopped in the furthest back corner of the room and turned to face them.

"Professor—"

"Ms. Granger, would it be alright with you if Padma Patil spent the night in your dormitory?" she asked.

Hermione smiled sadly.  "If Padma were my twin, and my parents had just died, I would stun the rest of the girls in the dormitory to get to her.  Of course she can stay with us.  But why does this concern Harry?" she asked.

"Because, we don't have any extra beds to spare.  One of you will have to stay in Harry's dormitory."

"Why mine?" Harry asked.

"Because Mr. Thomas' parents are also Aurors, and they are moving their things.  It is too dangerous for the Aurors to be living out in the open, since You-Know-Who is back.  They need him to help with the packing."  Harry raised an eyebrow.

"And you trust six—five fifteen-year-old boys who are riddled with hormones?"

"Are you saying that you are not responsible enough to make sure one girl won't let her feelings get away with her?  I understood that none of you boys had romantic relationships with _any_ girls, not to mention one of the fifth year girls."  Harry felt his face redden and looked down at the ground.

"We'll discuss it, Professor," Hermione said hurriedly.

"Then you are dismissed to your classmates.  Do…do tell them the whole story, and try not to take sides."  Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Sides of those who lost parents to Voldemort and the Death Eaters?" he questioned almost forcefully.  "How could I not?  My own parents were killed by Voldemort, Professor, and I was _nearly_ killed—four times!"

She grimaced and winced.  "Return to your common room, Granger, Potter."  Harry turned and left the room, Hermione at his side, re-awakened sadness flooding through his body.

~*~

Harry finished telling the story and looked around at the stunned Gryffindors.

"H-he's really back?" asked one of the first years, a small tawny haired girl.

"Yes.  He's been back since last year," Hermione answered softly.  She didn't need to be any louder, since the only sound aside from Harry, her, and the little girl's voices was the crackling of the fire.  It seemed to be magnified to about twice its normal loudness.

"If you have any questions concerning those affected most by these current events, please see Professor McGonagall.  Since we have the rest of the day off, you may do as you wish."

"Would Lavender and Audry come here for a moment?" Hermione said over the scattered whispers that had just started up.  The two girls nodded, Lavender's eyes still filled with tears for her best friend's parents, and came over.

"What's up?" Audry asked shakily.

"Padma—Parvarti's twin—is going to spend the night in our dormitory.  There's an empty bed in the fifth year guys dormitory, so one of us," Hermione waved a hand to the three of them, "has the pleasure of spending the night there.  Actually," she said, looking up at Harry, "we might stay there longer than that, too."

"Well," Lavender murmured.  "I'm Parvarti's best friend."

"So?" Audry said.  "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, I should be there for her.  In case—"

"In case what?  In case she needs a shoulder to cry on?  Um, Lav, she has her _sister_ for that!"

"Okay, you two," Harry said before Lavender could retort.  "We'll take Hermione into the dormitory, since you can't decide."  Harry saw a flicker of a grin come over Lavender's face.  "Care to share what you think is so amusing?" he asked.

"Oh," she said, glancing at Audry, who seemed to be fighting some inner turmoil.  "Nothing…" She then turned to Audry and the two of them immediately began to whisper something.  Harry glanced at Hermione, who was glaring at them both.

"We should get some of the tables set up for food," she said.

"Good idea.  Do you want to notify the house elves, or should I?"

"That's not necessary, Potter," McGonagall's voice said from the portrait hole.  Harry glanced over and saw her entering, followed by about ten house elves, each holding a large platter filled with food.  They immediately scooted over to the tables and lifted them into the air, dumping a few books off onto the floor.  The tables levitated over to a corner, whereupon the elves placed them down and put the platters on top.  A few of the still hungry students meandered over and picked up a morsel or two, still talking gravely about the events of the day.  Harry watched as if from a large distance, not really paying attention to what was going on until someone shook his shoulder.  Harry turned to face the person and saw Alicia.  She dragged him into a corner where the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team was and sat him down.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"McGonagall wants us to vote for our team captains."  Fred filled them in on the details and what they needed to do.  He then handed out small pieces of paper that had each team members name on it, followed by a small box beside it.  Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the boxes next to Fred and George's names and then tapped the box that said, "I am done and I am absolutely sure that I want this person to be my next team captain."  It snapped and sparkled briefly in his hand before disappearing completely.  Harry heard five similar snaps and looked up at his teammates.  Fred and George had slightly satisfied looks on their faces, while Alicia and Katie seemed to be half asleep, yawning every once and a while.  Harry yawned too and gazed around the common room.  Parvarti and Padma were nowhere to be seen, but that was expected.  Ron and Audry were sitting in front of the fire talking animatedly.  By the look on Audry's face and all the hand waving Ron was doing, Harry believed that they were discussing quidditch versus soccer once more.  Hermione was sitting at a near empty table chewing on a cracker left over from her bowl of soup and reading a book.  Out of nowhere, Harry wondered whether she had gotten a date yet to the ball, which, he realized, was only eleven days away.  He smiled to himself as he remembered he was going with Cho Chang, perhaps the prettiest girl in Ravenclaw.  He stood up and walked over to Hermione and sat down in front of her.  She looked up when she heard the chair creak and smiled at him briefly before returning to her book.  Suddenly remembering the essay from DADA that Sirs had assigned them the day before, Harry pulled out some parchment and a quill and began to write.

"Whacha doin'?" Audry asked, pulling out a chair and sitting in it backwards, her legs crisscrossed.

"Sirs' essay," Harry responded, grabbing his wand as the quill blotted the page.

"Oh, good idea!" Ron said, coming up behind Audry.  The four of them sat there, Harry and Ron finishing their essays while Audry and Hermione read quietly, getting along for the first time since they met on the train.

~*~

The next two weeks practically flew by, Harry thought as he looked back.  Fred and George were very surprised to find that they had been made co-captains.  Harry smirked slightly at the memory as he dressed for the ball.

"Was Audry telling the truth when she said you were going with Cho?" Ron asked him as he pulled out his dress robes.  Harry noticed that they were a dark navy blue, and also brand new.  Harry supposed that Fred and George went out and bought him the robes with the Triwizard Tournament prize money that he, Harry, had given to them.

"Maybe," he answered, grabbing his own bottle green robe from his trunk.  He grimaced as he noticed it was slightly wrinkled.  He would have to ask Hermione for an ironing charm later, he noted.

"Oh, come on, Harry!" Ron groaned, looking at him with an annoyed expression.  "I promise not to laugh!"

"So?  You'll see whether or not once we get to the Entrance Hall."

"Who're you going with, Ron?" Seamus asked him, coming out of the W.C**.

"Actually, no one," he answered with a shrug.

"Not even Hermione?" Harry asked, nodding his head towards her vacated bed.  Padma and Parvarti had asked for the room to be like that until Dean returned, and Harry and the rest of the fifth year boys agreed.  She was quiet and didn't snore, unlike Dean, and she _also_ didn't discuss quidditch and soccer until three a.m., like he and Seamus had done one more than one occasion.

"Why would I ask her?" Ron asked curiously.

"Well, you blew up at her last year when she went with Viktor!"

"Did you hear, by the way, she's going with him again?" Neville said as he opened the door.

"No, I didn't," Harry said.

"You know, you four are about as bad as Lavender and Parvarti—well, when Parvarti's in the mood, anyway," Audry said from the door.  Ron swore and pulled his robes around him tighter.

"Jeez, Audry!" he said finally when she stopped howling with laughter.

"Oh, man!" she continued.  Then she put on a look of horror.  "I'm scared for life!" she wailed, still laughing.  Ron's face went so red that Harry began to laugh as well.  She glanced him over and stopped laughing long enough to say, "You need an ironing charm for that, Harry.  It's all wrinkled!"

"I noticed," he said with a smirk.

"Now come on!" she said, watching as Ron attempted to make himself decent with revealing anything to her.  He finally gave up and conjured up a divider, which hid him from view.

"Coming," Harry said, glancing at the mirror.

"Don't be vain, dear," the mirror said to him.  He tried to flatten down his bangs to no avail and continued out the door after Audry.  For the first time, he noticed her robes.  They were a purplish-blue color and were very loose in the front and back around the neck, coming down so low in the front that Harry diverted his eyes to the bottom.  The hem, he noticed, was artfully frayed and a large slit up the side showed off one very muscular leg.  It also hugged her hips and made his mouth go suspiciously dry.  Her hair was styled in waves around her head, with her bangs pulled across to the right side of her face, half-hiding the eye from view.  Audry had put on a decent amount of pale purple eyeshadow too, he noted.

"What?" she asked, putting one of her hands on a hip and striking a pose.  

Harry shook his head and mumbled, "Nothing."

"You know what would look really good on you?" she asked him about halfway down the stairs.

"What?"

"C'mere," she stopped in front of him and pulled off his glasses.  He caught the scent of a very sweet fragrance, but not sickeningly sweet, like some of the perfumes a few of the girls wore.

His eyesight immediately blurred, but it was very brief, since Audry pulled out her wand and mumbled something under her breath.  Suddenly Harry could see more clearly than he had ever been able to in his life.  He took a step back, surprised, and managed to trip over the hem of his dress robes.  Audry cried out as he grabbed her arm for support and came down with him, landing on top of him.  Blushing furiously and still holding his glasses, she scrambled off of him.  He blinked a few more times to get used to his 20/20 eyesight and stood up again.

"Wow," he said, walking over and looking out a window.  Normally, he wouldn't have been able to see anything without his glasses, but now he could see even better than _with_ them!  He turned back to Audry, who was standing with his glasses still clasped in her hands.  "How did you do that?  Is it permanent?"

"No; it'll wear off in a few hours, but not until way after the ball is over.  I'll give the spell to you later, if you decide that you want to use it all the time.  It's better than laser surgery, let me tell you!"

"You wear glasses too?" he asked, surprised.

"No; I used to, but they're _so_ ugly!  For my fourteenth birthday, and since I 'accidentally' smashed my twentieth pair of glasses, my foster parents got me laser surgery.  I had to wear protective eyewear for a week afterwards, though."  They finally reached the bottom of the stairs.  Still telling Harry about her experience with glasses, she didn't notice how every girl in there went dead silence, much to the offense of their dates (if they were in there).  Hermione found her way to Harry immediately.

"Where are your glasses?" she asked quietly.

"Audry has them," he told her.  Audry held them up to verify.  "She used some charm on my eyes.  I can see better than ever!"  Hermione half-glared at the American, who grinned sheepishly.  She handed them back.

"What were you doing up there anyway, Audry?" Hermione asked her.

"I went to go get Ron," she said.  She smiled evilly and then whispered something into Hermione's ear.  Her eyes went really big and she said, "You _didn't_!"  Harry shook his head, figuring it had something to do with Ron.  He glanced briefly at Hermione and was stunned.  She had outdone herself this year, it seemed.  She wore a deep red dress robe that covered a lot more than Audry's robes did.  It did, however, go low around the neckline, but unlike Audry's, it gathered in the front and fell to near her waist.  Her prefect badge was almost hidden under the ruffle.  The bottom part was layered with a gauzy material that Harry couldn't place, and it seemed that thousands of sparkles swirled around in it as she moved.  Her hair had been straightened as it had the year before, except this time she seemed to have curled it somehow.  The curls she had piled on top of her head, held with a large pin with a huge (and false, Harry guessed) ruby that let the curls cascade around her shoulders.

"We should head down now," Harry mentioned, clearing his throat.  Hermione nodded, a grin still on her face.

By the time they got down to the Entrance Hall, all the other houses were already there.  Harry said goodbye to Hermione and Audry and went off in search of Cho.  He found her with two of her friends and pulled her away.  They went off to the oak doors that led to the Great Hall and waited for them to be opened.  When they finally did, the students went in, Harry leading Cho by the arm.

While waiting for the band to come in, Harry looked around.  Sure enough, he saw Hermione talking with Viktor Krum, who, Harry suspected, Had come earlier during the day. 

"If I could have your attention," Dumbledore called over the noise.  It gradually quieted enough so they could all hear him clearly.  "We are very lucky to have this group of five young women agreed to sing for us on such short notice.  Now, put your hands together for _The Muggles_!"  With a brilliant flash of white light and fireworks erupting from the end of the stage, Dumbledore disappeared and the backs of five women stood on the stage.  A beat started up and in a few seconds they turned and began to sing.  Cho pulled Harry out onto the dance floor and the two of them danced for a bit.  Harry stepped on Cho's foot twice during that song.  She winced each time.  She said nothing about his glasses not being there.  When the song ended, they stepped off and Harry felt slightly nervous.

"So…" he began, scratching his head.  Hermione and Viktor came over.

"Harry, you didn't tell me you asked Cho to the ball," she said.  Harry smiled.

"Between you and me, I can't believe I got up the courage to ask her either," he whispered in her ear.  She laughed slightly and looked out at the mass of bodies moving to the music.

"Cho," Harry heard Viktor's gruff voice say.  "Vould you like to dance?"

"Oh," she said, slightly surprised.  "Sure!"  And without asking Harry if it was all right as Parvarti had done the previous year, she took off, arm in arm with him.  Hermione stood there flabbergasted, her mouth open.

"Would you know, he hasn't said one word to me since he got here?" she said softly.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I think…never mind," she said suddenly, cutting off what she was going to say with a shake of her head.

Harry raised an eyebrow.  "You think what?"

"Nothing."  She looked away, and then, "I think it's because of what happened over the summer."

Harry was quiet for a bit as he watched Cho dance with Krum.  "What happened over the summer?" he asked finally.  Hermione sighed and began to walk.  She turned and motioned for him to follow, so he did so.  When he fell into step, she began to talk as if she was getting something ugly and embarrassing removed from her face, or something.

"I visited him in Bulgaria, like he invited me to.  When he pulled me aside last year before we got onto the horseless carriages?  He was telling me that he was really looking forward to my visiting him."  They got to the table with all the drinks on it and Harry picked up two Butterbeers.  He handed one to Hermione, who thanked him and continued talking.  "When I got there, it was three days before your birthday—three days before your uncle died.  The first day was kind of awkward—we spent the day with his parents, traveling around the market and buying various foods.  The next day we spent with each other.  But it was weird…like he didn't really want me there.  He had a quidditch practice, so I watched that.  But the next day, really early in the morning, I got an owl from Ron saying that a Death Eater had been at your house and killed your uncle and I…I didn't even say goodbye to him.  I thought I'd make it up by bringing him to this, but he ignored me the entire time and now he goes of with _her_."  Hermione was just about crying, Harry realized, so he put down his half-empty Butterbeer bottle and grabbed her arm.

"Let's go outside," he said, pulling her towards the door.  They were nearly there when Malfoy stepped in front of them.

"Oh, great, the ruin of a perfectly good evening!" Malfoy drawled.  Pansy Parkinson was clasping his arm loosely and smirked at the sight of them.

"What, did the love potion wear off of your precious Vikki?" she taunted.  Harry frowned.

"I know as well as anyone that love potions are illegal," Hermione said.

"That didn't seem to stop you from double-dosing Potter, since he can't seem to keep his hands off filthy mudbloods like you!"

"Fifteen points from Slytherin," Harry and Hermione said in unison.  Pansy scoffed.

"You can't do that," she said teasingly.

"Oh, really, now?" said a new voice.  Harry turned and saw Audry standing behind Hermione, looking madder then Harry had ever seen her before.  "I do believe that they're both prefects, which means that they have point deducting privileges.  Am I right, Harry?"

"Yes.  We can also administer detentions as we see fit."  Malfoy sneered and walked off.

"I wonder if he knows you took off thirty points?" Audry wondered aloud.

"You can't count, can you?" Ron said from behind her.

"If I heard right, Harry said, 'fifteen points off', and Hermione also said the same.  Fifteen and fifteen is thirty, unless I really can't do math."  They laughed and Harry watched as Ron and Audry walked back off into the crowd of dancers.

Hermione sighed heavily.  "You know what?" she asked as they walked out the open doors and into the warm night air.  It was the first one for a long time, Harry noted, but he did wonder if the area had been bewitched so that people could go outdoors without freezing to death.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I…" she blushed heavily before pressing on.  "I have often thought…about…" she then mumbled something Harry couldn't hear.

"What?" he asked again.

"About giving you a love potion," she blushed even redder as she said that.

"Wha-at?" Harry said surprised.  "I don't understand."

"Well…oh, how can I put this…" she took a deep breath.  "I've always looked up to you.  You were Harry Potter, the boy who saved the wizarding world!  You've faced You-Know-Who four times—and lived!  I don't think there's anyone else who can say _that_.  But…the thing is…" Harry realized he must have given her a strange look, for she rushed on and said, "I kind of…" and then stopped again.

It suddenly dawned on him.  "Shh…" he said.  "I get it."  She looked at him with startled eyes as her face reddened once more.

"But—"

"I get it, okay?" he said, sitting down on a bench and, when she followed suit, putting his arm around her waist.  She sighed happily and leaned into his arm.

"I get it too, Harry Potter," she whispered.  They looked up at the sky and suddenly a shooting star flew across the sky.

"Make a wish," Harry said to her.  She closed her eyes.  Harry watched her perfect lips part slightly (_where did that come from?_ he wondered) and had the sudden uncontrollable urge to kiss them.  When she opened her eyes, he did so.  He felt a shock pass between them, but he found that he liked it.  He pulled away and looked at her.  Hermione touched her lips and Harry asked, "What did you wish for?"

"It just came true," she answered quietly.

**A/N**:  Aren't you proud of me?  I finished it finally!  Nova (my beta reader, for those who are slow) said that you guys (girls, I should say) will go nuts over that last part.  I think it's too fluffy.  Shellie threatened to steal it and read it over and over again, so I know _she_ liked it, but what about the rest of you????  BTW, I want a vote on whether you like this version or the version Kristen and Dani wrote.  Oh, BTW, you two, I don't want a million reviews from you just because you want it up!  I happen to really like this version better, and on top of that, when my mind pops in good ideas, I can't just call you up (since most of them pop up at 11:30 at night!) and say, "Okay, put this, this, and this into the story 'cause that's what I'm doin' and it'll be weird if you don't!"  It already _did_ happen, since they skipped from the 3rd to the 16th.  As I said this morning, "We are not amused…"

Oh, and I'll try to have chapter 5 up by next Friday!!!

* "Winged Horse: M.O.M. Classification: XX-XXXX.  Winged horses exist worldwide.  There are many different breeds, including the Abraxan (immensely powerful giant palominos), the Aethonan (chestnut, popular in Britain and Ireland), the Granian (gray and particularly fast) and the rare Thestral (black, possessed of power of invisibility, and considered unlucky by many wizards).  As with the Hippogriff, the owner of a winged horse is required to perform a Disillusionment Charm upon it at regular intervals (see Introduction)." _Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find Them_, page 24.

 **A W.C. (water closet) is a British term for bathroom, restroom, washroom, whatever you want to call it.  The place where you go when you gotta tinkle!!!


	5. Chapter Five: Just Believe

Chapter Five- Just Believe 

_"I get it, okay?" he said, sitting down on a bench and, when she followed suit, putting his arm around her waist.  She sighed happily and leaned into his arm._

_"I get it too, Harry Potter," she whispered.  They looked up at the sky and suddenly a shooting star flew across the sky._

_"Make a wish," Harry said to her.  She closed her eyes.  Harry watched her perfect lips part slightly and had the sudden uncontrollable urge to kiss them.  When she opened her eyes, he did so.  He felt a shock pass between them, but he found that he liked it.  He pulled away and looked at her_

_"What did you wish for?"_

_"It just came true," she answered quietly._

Harry leaned back in his chair during Defense Against the Dark Arts class on Monday morning as he remembered the rest of that wonderful night.  His page of notes sat in front of him, the wet ink still glistening.  Professor Sirs was handing back a few pages of homework from the previous week.  He passed Harry's table and placed his Patronus essay face down on it.  Harry picked it up and looked at it.

"What did ya get?" Audry asked, popping the bubble on her gum with a snap.

"Full points," Harry told her.

"Good job!  I only got half credit," she pulled out her paper once more and Harry saw a big red mark circling around the bottom half of the paper.  "I didn't have a good reason for having a lioness for my patronus."

"I hope he didn't look your dad up on the register, Harry," Hermione said, carefully placing her perfect score paper on the tabletop.  "He wouldn't know that your dad was…well, illegal."

Audry looked up in surprise.  "Really?  Your dad wasn't a certified Animagus?"

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said to her.  She grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"You gonna follow in his footsteps?" Audry asked, grinning evilly.  Harry rolled his eyes.

"Can I get your attention, please?" Sirs said loudly, clapping his hands.  The students looked up at him and quieted down almost immediately.  After a few lessons, they knew that (usually) he had something interesting to say if he asked them for their attention.  "The ten points is awarded to Mr. Harry Potter for the best reason why it's so difficult to cast this spell.  Mr. Potter, would you please read what you wrote down?"  Harry, slightly bewildered, got to his feet to a smattering of applause.  Hermione looked downright stunned, while Ron was giving Sirs a look that was quite skeptical.

Harry cleared his throat.  "Er…" he looked around, slightly nervous.

He heard the faint whispering in his head for the first time in weeks just then.  He jumped and listened hard and just made out, "Oh, puh-lease!  You fought a Horntail dragon last year and you're _nervous_?"  Harry smiled inwardly and began to talk.

"Well, it's so difficult not because you're not pronouncing it right, because most of us are, but because of the power that we put behind it.  When I cast the spell, I try to remember what I was feeling at the moment of happiness that I choose—for me, it's the exhilaration of winning a quidditch match, of flying, and, most importantly, knowing that I _can_ do it.  Being able to do magic isn't just about being born in a wizarding family—look at Hermione and other Muggle-born students in the school!—and it's definitely not about being brought up with wizards around you, or even knowing that you are one.  Just look at me," Harry said, waving his hands at himself for emphasis.  "I was brought up by Muggles, not knowing who I was, or that I could do magic.  You know," he said suddenly, slapping his paper down on the table and causing everyone to jump, "Muggles have their own brand of magic, too.  They also know that the only thing that you need to know when doing something new and different is to believe that you can do it."

"In New York," Audry started, standing up beside Harry, "they have homeless shelters for the homeless, where they feed them and give them a place to live when they have nothing.  If one of them gets sick, a doctor will be called in, who believes he can cure them because he was taught by teachers, who believed that they could teach, who learned the same life lesson that we're learning right now—that belief is one way to be able to do something.  Harry, you're off a bit.  You need three things—the know how, belief, and _perseverance_.  Without that, nothing is possible.  The teachers wouldn't have learned those lessons, therefore not teaching the doctors, who wouldn't be able to help the sick, who would die without help.  And if all the homeless shelters were empty because they all died from being out in the cold, then the people who cared enough to help them would have no one to care fore, therefore making New York a very cold place, making the United States a place where no one wants to live, a place of no opportunity."

"Fifty points to Gryffindor for your understanding something that takes most wizards decades to figure out, Mr. Potter and Audry," Sirs said, slightly surprised.  A good portion of the students wore expressions that said, _What the heck?_ on their faces.  Ron had one eyebrow raised, while Hermione seemed to be taking notes on what they had just said.  Harry sat down very slowly, aware that Audry seemed to be doing the same.

"That," Ron told them, "was bloody brilliant!"

~*~

Harry collapsed into a chair in the common room of Gryffindor later that day, exhausted.  Fred crept up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Harry, emergency quidditch meeting in five minutes," he hissed into his ear.  Harry turned but Fred was already gone, heading off towards Alicia and Katie.  Harry leaned into his hands.

Five minutes later they all met up on the quidditch field.

"What's the problem, Fred?" Katie asked.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.  "I have Transfiguration homework that needs to be finished sometime today."

"You didn't seem to busy when I called the meeting," Fred pointed out.  "Besides, the first match of the season is in three weeks, and we're missing a keeper and one chaser.  We need replacements that have experience, not just those who want to play.  You three are going to be responsible for weeding out those who want to play and those who _can_ play.  Bring your friends out here and hand them a broom to see if they're a natural, like your girlfriend, Audry," Fred told Harry.

"She's not my girlfriend," he told him.

"Right.  Well, she has the right build for a keeper."

"And a seeker too," Harry pointed out.  "She has enough spunk to beat you two out of your jobs as beater, though."  Fred shook his head as George roared with laughter.

"Could she fill in for both of us at once?" he asked, still chortling.  Harry shrugged.

"Anyway, keep that in mind," Fred said, glaring at his brother.  He turned to Katie and Alicia.  "Be sure that you two check things out, too," he told them.

"Can we leave now?" Alicia asked.  "I was knee deep in parchment for Snape's essay and I wasn't anywhere near being finished."  Fred and George looked over the three of them.

"I guess," George said finally.

"Get out of here," Fred told them, waving his hands at them as if to shoo them off.  "The next practice is this Friday at three—don't forget!"

"As long as it's an afternoon practice, this time," Harry said.  "I missed the highlights of Flitwicks speech on cleaning charms that morning."

He turned and left the field, heading back for the common room, intending to get a start on his transfiguration homework that he had mentioned to Fred at the meeting.  His thoughts strayed to Hermione once more, about how her hair had fallen so perfectly on his shoulder two nights before, the smell of her shampoo flooding his nose, the way that she walked, how she laughed.  He smiled at the thought of her I'm-angry-at-you-but-not-really glare, frowned at the memory of how scared she'd been the previous year when he saw her in the Hospital Wing after the third task, after Cedric had been killed.

_All these memories of her,_ Harry thought.  _And to think that I was so blind to the fact that she liked me._

 "Harry, are you aware of the fact that Hermione's birthday is _tomorrow_?" Ron's urgent voice said suddenly in his ear.  He spun around and faced him.

"Tomorrow?" he echoed.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, then?" Ron asked, a wicked grin on his face.  Harry grinned, realizing what he meant.

"I think it's time that we went looking for the Marauder's Map."

~*~

"Ouch, Harry, that's my foot!" Ron whispered angrily in his ear as they neared Filch's office under the invisibility cloak.

"If you weren't right on my heel, I wouldn't have—"

"Shh!  There's Filch!"  The teens stopped and watched Filch walk from his office.  He gazed around as if he had heard them, and then continued down the hall and out of sight.  Harry sighed in relief

"Okay, after you…"  They threw off the cloak once they entered and lit their wands.

"Which drawer d'you think it's in?" Ron asked Harry as he walked to a row of filing cabinets.

"If it's in here at all, you mean," Harry answered quietly, examining one of them.  He smirked.  "It's not in Fred and George's drawer, that's for sure."

"_Confiscated and Highly Dangerous_…how about that?" Ron read from one near the bottom.

"That's where it was last time," Harry noted, remembering what the Weasley twins had told him back in his third year, when he'd received the map in the first place.  "Open it and see."  Ron slid it open and both of them winced at the loud squeak it let out when it rolled against some rust.

Ron groaned.  "It'll take forever to look through all these!"

"I've got an idea," Harry said suddenly.  "_Accio Marauder's Map_!"  Harry heard some rattling from the back of the room and he and Ron turned around to face the noise.

"It's coming from back there," Harry whispered, as if the source of the noise could hear him.  They closed the drawer, Ron telling Harry to be quieter as he did so, and crept towards the rattling.

"I think it's in his desk!" Ron said, pointing to a drawer in the old and slightly decomposing looking desk.  Harry approached it and gave it a pull.

"It's locked," he said dejectedly.

"Then unlock it," Ron said mockingly.  Harry glared at him and flicked his wand.

"_Alohomora_," he said in a hushed voice.  The drawer sprang open and a piece of parchment flew out of the drawer and hit him in the face.  Harry sighed and peeled it off.  He looked at it and his eyes grew wide.  "No one ever wiped it!" he said.

"Any more bad news?" Ron asked, looking crestfallen.

"Yeah," Harry said.  "Filch is coming back."   They scrambled for the invisibility cloak, shut the drawer again, and waited in the back corner, away from everything that Filch might want to access.

"Wretched children," Harry heard him mumble as he reached the door.  Harry winced and realized that they'd left it open.  "Eh?  My sweet, someone's been in here," he said, presumably to Mrs. Norris.  Harry felt like groaning but just managed to contain it.  He turned to Ron and saw that he was praying fervently under his breath.  Harry elbowed him and watched as Filch entered the room.

_We have to get out of here,_ Ron mouthed.  Harry nodded.

_When Filch gets to his desk, be ready to go to the door!_  Harry mouthed back.  Filch entered and, to Harry's absolute horror, closed the door.

_We're in for it,_ Ron mouthed, looking as though he was playing McGonagall's giant wizard chess game again.

Filch didn't stay for more then a few minutes, luckily for Harry and Ron.  He also didn't discover that the map was missing.  He left grumbling about incompetent students and idiotic poltergeists.

"I swear someone's laughing at us right now," Ron said hoarsely.

"No kidding.  Let's get out of here before he comes back.  _Mischief managed_!"

~*~

Harry and Ron sped down the corridors towards the humpbacked witch as fast as they could under the invisibility cloak.  At one point, they nearly walked through Peeves as he bounced through the halls, his cackling able to be heard from a long ways off.

"Harry, do you remember the password?" Ron asked breathlessly as they skidded into the correct corridor.

"Yeah," he said, halting just before it and throwing off the cloak.  "_Dissendium_!"  The hump of the witch slid back, revealing a slide that led to the dirt floor beyond.  Harry grabbed hold of the edges and, feet first, went down the stone slide to the bottom.  When he flew through the opening, he scrambled aside as Ron hurtled out behind him.  He landed with an, "Oof!" and cart-wheeled off into the darkness.

"_Lumos_!"  Harry heard him breathe.  Light flooded the area, showing Harry where Ron had landed.

"You okay?" he asked, coming over.

"Yeah," Ron panted.  "Rough ride, though.  Still have the money?"  Harry pulled out his sack of golden Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts.  "Good.  Let's go!"

After an hour of hiking, they finally came to the top of some stairs.

"We're at Honeydukes now," Harry hissed to Ron, stopping him.  The two put out their wands and Harry cracked open the trapdoor.  Not a sound came from above.  "Stay here for a moment, and hand me the cloak."  Ron passed Harry the cloak and he slipped into the open.  There was no one around, but Harry could hear laughter coming from the store upstairs.

"Can I come up?" Ron whispered.  Harry put a hand out from under the cloak and waved to him.  Ron crept up and slipped under the cloak.

"We have to be very quiet," Harry said.  They popped the door open and Harry peered into the room.  He tried to contain a snigger.  Fred and George were walking around the store, picking up random candies and popping them into a bag.  "Take off the cloak," he told Ron.  They did so and strode boldly into the store, taking the twins by surprise.

"Hello, George," Ron said to his brother, grinning broadly.  Fred and George jumped, spilling candy, and turned around.

"What are you two doing here?" Fred asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Could ask you the same," Ron retorted.  "D'you know how much trouble you could get in for this?"

"Not nearly as much as Harry," George scolded.  "You're a prefect, Harry.  If they catch you…well, let's just say that you probably won't be a prefect anymore."

"Then I won't get caught," Harry said slyly.  "And besides, we need to get Hermione a birthday gift."  The twins shook their heads and turned towards the door.

"Just don't get her a Canary Cream and she'll be happy," George said to their retreating backs.

"Or a guide to cheating!"  Harry turned to glare at Fred, but he kept walking.

"What do you think we should get her?" Ron asked as the door shut behind them.  Harry gazed around the stores in the area.

"Well, what do girls like?"

"Ginny likes jewelry, but I know she wouldn't say no to something to do with quidditch," Ron said, also looking around.

"We both know that the only way Hermione likes her quidditch is if she's watching it.  I think she doesn't like flying."

"No, really," a voice said from behind them.  "What gave you the clue?"

"Audry!" Harry and Ron gasped in unison, spinning around.  The American grinned at them.  "What are you doing here?"

"Buying my friend a gift for her birthday.  You?" she walked up and put her arms around the shoulders of the boys.  They looked at each other incredulously.

"Er…"

"What you're trying to say is, 'Audry, we're so sorry!  We should've invited ya along with us to buy Hermione a gift!'"

"Er…"

"And, 'Audry, you're a girl; help us to get a present for our dearest friend Hermione!'  Or, in Harry's case—"

Harry clapped a hand over her mouth.  "'Or, in Harry's case'," he mocked.  "Jeez.  Audry, if you'd wanted to come, why didn't you ask?"

"You two disappeared before I could talk to you.  I saw you go into the back of that weird statue and followed you.  Man, sometimes I think men wouldn't notice if their robes were on fire."  She shook her head and pushed them forward.  "Now, every girl likes jewelry, so that's our first stop.  If we can't find anything there that would fit with 'Moine's personality, we go on to the bookstore down there."  Audry pointed down the street to a dirty little place with a worn down sign hanging half off its hinges.  "Any questions?"  Too astounded to say anything, Harry and Ron shook their heads.  Audry grinned.  "By the end of this year, you two will be as well trained as my ex was."  She looked thoughtfully up at the sky.  "I wonder if he's been able to walk properly yet."  Harry looked at Ron, who had a strangely scared expression on his face.

~*~

A bell above the door jingled as Harry entered a small shop on the outskirts of Hogsmeade.  Ron and Audry were off looking at some of the stuff in the bookstore, since Ron couldn't see anything there that he would give to Hermione as just a friend in the jewelry store.  Audry discovered a beautiful charm bracelet that had actual charms on the charms.

"Can I help you?" a voice said.  Harry looked up and saw a grizzled old man standing behind a counter to the back of the room.  He looked so old and wise that Harry supposed that he must be about Dumbledore's age.

"Er, maybe," Harry said, walking in closer.  The man squinted at him.

"School trip?" he asked as Harry approached the counter.

"Well, not exactly.  I'm looking for something that I can get for my girlfriend.  It's her birthday tomorrow, and I haven't gotten her anything yet."

"Have anything particular in mind?" he asked.

"Actually, I have no idea what to get her," Harry said sheepishly.  The man smiled.

"Ah.  I see you haven't been together long, then."

"Well, I've known her since I was eleven, but girls are hard to shop for, for some reason."

"Yes, quite true, quite true."  The man pulled out a few boxes and set them on the counter.  "We have all sorts of things here.  Here's a charmed necklace from the fifteenth century that will ward away werewolves, for example."

"Oh, I don't think she'd like that," Harry said, his hopes lessening slightly.  "A friend of my family is a werewolf, you see, and I don't think he'd appreciate that too much.  He took me in after my aunt kicked me out."

The storekeeper raised an eyebrow.  "Point well taken.  Well, maybe she's the bookworm type.  I have a book on witches through the centuries that she might like."

"She's probably read it," Harry sighed.  He pulled one of the boxes on the counter towards him and began to go through it.  He pulled out sneakoscopes, old and beautiful quills, a dead bug (he supposed that wasn't supposed to be in there, considering that the old man brushed it off the counter), and then finally a small object that looked like a gemstone of some sort, but it was so bizarre and unique that he had no idea of what it was even supposed to be.

"I wondered where that had got to," the storekeeper said eagerly, picking it up.  "This is a charm to go on a necklace.  It'll show you any person in the world that you want to see at that moment, and you can hear what they're saying and you can talk with them."

"There's a catch," Harry said bluntly.

The storekeeper hesitated.  "Yes, there is one catch.  You have to believe entirely on the stone, and that's very difficult for some wizards."  Harry picked it up from the man's hand and held it up to the light.

"Amber…?" Harry asked doubtfully.

The man smiled.  "If you believe in something enough, especially a wizard, you can make anything happen."

Since Harry had made a speech on that earlier that day, he didn't say anything except for, "How much?"

~*~

Hermione seemed to have completely forgotten that Tuesday was her birthday, and maybe it was because no one said anything about it.  Audry had wanted to sing _Happy Birthday_ to her as loudly as they could that day at lunch, but Harry had a better idea.  After talking with Fred and George for a bit, who seemed to have thrown the thought of being responsible out of the window, and they agreed with the idea.

After a long and strenuous meeting with the prefects, in which they made no important decisions and yet seemed to be doing _something_ important, Harry and Hermione headed down to the common room.  When they entered, it was very empty and deserted.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asked.

"Dinner?" Harry shrugged.

Everyone in the room leapt up at that moment and shouted, "Surprise!"  Stunned and wide-eyed, Hermione stood the center of attention for once, surrounded by people who were laughing and clapping her on the back, shouting "Happy Birthday!" and shoving gifts towards her.  She glanced warily at Harry, who was holding suppressed laughter.

"Wh-who did this?" she asked breathlessly.  Fred and George came over with a large flimsy crown and plunked it down on her head.

"Why, Harry did!  Naughty old boy," Fred said robustly.  Hermione half glared at Harry and finally she relaxed.

"Thanks," she said.  "I've never had a surprise party before."

"It came in handy that even _you_ forgot your birthday," Harry pointed out.

"What do you mean, _even_ you?"

"Well, you forgot your own birthday!  I mean, it's not every day that you turn fifteen, is it?"

"Well, no, but—"

"No, but shush."  Harry pressed a small box into Hermione's hands.  She looked up at him and opened it, pulling out a long chain with the amber gemstone on the end of it.

"A necklace?" she asked dully.

"Put it on and clasp it, yeah, like that, and then think of a person that you want to see right now."  Hermione squeezed her eyes shut.

"It's not working," she said, popping one open.

"Believe it will work, Hermione," Harry said.  "Believe with all your soul."

"But—"

"No buts.  Just believe," Harry told her.  She sighed and closed her eyes once more and suddenly—

"Mom?" she gasped.  A tear escaped from one of her closed eyes and she hastily wiped it away with her other hand, listening intently.  She nodded a few times and then opened her eyes once more.

"Thank you so much, Harry," she said tearfully.

"You're welcome," he answered.

~*~

An old and worn armchair stood before a crackling fire, the occupant of the chair hissing gently and patting the head of a gigantic snake.  He seemed to be speaking to the snake, for every now and then it would nod slowly.  The only door to the room cracked open suddenly and the man looked up.  Or, at least, what once was a man.  He had slits for a nose and his eyes glowed red.  He glared at the person in the door and then turned back to the fire.

_"You have failed me," he said simply.  The man in the door trembled._

_"Th-there was an intervention, my Lord," he tried to explain.  The once-man in the chair rose slowly to his feet and faced him.  He began to tremble again as the strange creature circled him._

_"You will be punished for your failure later, Wormtail," he said finally.  The man called Wormtail let out an audible sigh and sank back into the shadows.  "In the meantime, tell me where I can find James Potter."_


	6. Chapter Six: Quidditch Tryouts

Chapter Six-Quidditch Tryouts

Harry sat straight up in bed. Sweat poured down his face, the dream sticking out beyond anything in his mind. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes, swung his legs over the side of his bed, and walked over to the window seat to gaze down at the silent grounds below.

Not a creature was moving out there, and through the strange mist that was shrouding everything on the grounds, Harry could see the beginnings of a frost on the grass. _Strange,_ he thought. _It's not even October yet…_ Debating whether to go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Sirius or talk with Dumbledore, Harry glanced at his clock. He realized that it would be irrational to go to Dumbledore at one in the morning and stupid to risk getting caught out of bed trying to get to the owlery, he climbed back into bed and sank into an uneasy sleep.

~*~

_The first thought that came to Harry during this dream was the fact that he seemed to have complete control of his body. The second was that this was not a 'Voldemort' dream._

_Harry gazed out of what seemed to be a room with walls made of fire into a corridor so dark that he could swear that it swallowed all light. The moment he stepped into it, however, it flooded with a fiery brilliance that startled him into a run. At the end of the corridor was a mist-filled room that lay so thick that it seemed it could seep right into the very soul. Harry looked down at his feet to make sure he wouldn't trip over anything and saw cobblestones. They too seemed to be filled with fire, and they led off into the distance, vanishing into the mist that shrouded the room._

_A disembodied voice—a singer, he thought—met his ears, both melodic and somehow, though Harry was quite sure he had never met the owner of it, familiar. The fog twisted it so that it was distorted and creepy._

_Harry began to walk towards where the voice seemed to be coming from. It occurred to him at one point that the person might be dangerous, even someone who might want to kill him. He swept the thought aside and kept walking anyway._

_Thinking (absurdly, at the moment) that he could reach out with his mind to contact the voice, he said, _~Hello? Who's there?~_ To his surprise, the voice stopped singing and began to call his name, an echoing, distorted call._

_When he reached a part in the path where it started to curve to the right, the mist began to lift, revealing a beautiful garden with large rose bushes. It startled him as he realized that they too had a somewhat fiery quality to them. He looked up at the sound of a bubbling fountain and saw the back of a tall woman with long, luxurious black curls that shone with a light source that Harry couldn't seem to place. Her dress was of medieval style, and made of deep red satin, or a close enough material. It seemed to contain a thousand whispers, each calling his name with such strength that he found he couldn't resist continuing is walk. The woman turned suddenly, and Harry found himself drowning in her impossibly clear chocolate brown eyes. Her lips were full and deep red (matching well with her pale skin, he noted dimly.) The lips parted as she cocked her head slightly to the right, like a curious dog might do, and spoke his name._

_"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaarry," she called. Harry noticed that her voice was still echoed and distorted, though the mist that had previously veiled them had all but vanished. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarry, Harry? _Harry!" Harry sat up so fast, his arms flailing as if some invisible assassin was attacking him, that he managed to hit the person that was pulling his curtains open to flood his vision with light. She squealed (_She?_ Harry thought thickly, still half asleep) loudly and tried to defend herself with the nearby water pitcher. The only thing she succeeded in doing was breaking it, soaking her and Harry in the process. She gasped as the cold water hit her full in the face.

"Oh, Harry!" she groaned. "You've gotten my clothes sopping wet!" Harry blinked to clear his vision and saw Hermione, her hair flattened by all the water and starting to fluff out again. The agitated look on her face was all it took to make him realized that something wasn't quite right.

"What a dream" he murmured to himself, getting up from the wet bed. "Hermione, get out so I can change."

"You get out!" she shrieked. "I'm thoroughly wet as well, or had you noticed?"

"Yes," Harry said grimly, "but you were the one who insisted on waking me up. Where is everyone? What time is it?"

"It's almost eight-thirty," Hermione answered somewhat more calmly than before, taking a portion of her hair that was the most wet and squeezing it with her hands. A small puddle of water was beginning to form on the floor around her feet. "Oh, drat," she said, looking down at her blouse and trying to hide herself from Harry. He looked up and saw that the once crisp white blouse was revealing her bra and quickly looked away once more, blushing furiously.

The next thing he knew, he was sitting on his butt out in the hallway outside his dormitory with a towel being thrown at his head. The door slammed shut behind him. Harry sighed and began to towel his hair. After it yielded all the water he could manage to get out of it, he began to pat down his soaked pajamas. Hermione opened the door, her hair up in one hand and a hair elastic in the other, and walked around him.

"You have half an hour to get yourself ready for Transfiguration," she reminded him. "Don't be late, or Professor McGonagall might be tempted to take off more points than usual because you're a prefect!" Harry grumbled under his breath and went to the task of dressing and attempting once more to fight a losing battle against his every-unruly hair. After one final comb over (which gained him nothing but another cowlick), he was ready to eat breakfast. Unfortunately, he had five minutes to get to Transfiguration at that point, which he needed to get to the room.

He skidded to a halt just outside the room, his bag clutched tightly under his arm. Audry was laughing hysterically over something Ron had just said. She stopped when he nearly knocked her over.

"Whoever said girls take longer to get dressed than boys obviously didn't know you," she noted, pulling his tie to the correct position. He ignored her and began to sort through the papers, books, quills, and ink bottles that he had thrown in his bag to see if he had managed to grab the paper that McGonagall had assigned the previous Friday. As luck would have it, he had, and he placed it neatly on the pile that was beginning to form on her desk as he walked in.

After a brief lecture of proper wand holding when transfiguring body parts, McGonagall set them to work on changing certain features, like noses, ears, or fingers to different types of food. Within ten minutes, the majority of them were laughing so hard about their friend's nose being changed to a tomato, or an ear being replaced with an okra, that mistakes began to occur. Neville managed somehow to switch Seamus' ears with branches off of the tree outside the window, and Audry couldn't explain for the life of her why Hermione's hair was suddenly a bean sprout plant. Harry and Ron tried not to look like they were laughing too hard when she first realized that she was two bits short of a vegetable garden and went into hysterics. It wasn't quite as funny, however, when in her anger she turned Ron's nose into a banana and Harry's glasses into a cucumber. Harry spent the last quarter of the hour being partially blind while Audry and Hermione took turns attempting to change them back.

Charms was equally exciting, since Professor Flitwick was beginning to teach them wandless flotation methods. Again, Neville's attempt at lifting his feather off his desk resulted in him sending the poor teacher up to the chandelier, where he clung in fear until someone found a large enough pile of cushions and Hermione located a spell that could slow the descending time of an object to a minimum. As a result, the class spent the rest of the time placing bets on when their teacher would land. Neville's luck took an upswing, and he won five free Butterbeers on the first visit to Hogsmede, six Chocolate Frog cards, and, of all things, a shoe. Audry, who had bet that he would stay in the air until four o'clock, seemed slightly subdued as they munched on peanut butter and honey sandwiches at lunch.

"Audry, is something wrong?" Ron asked, finally breaking the silence between them. She looked up in surprise.

"Huh?"

"You're awfully quiet. In fact, you have been all morning. Did Malfoy make fun of you, or something?"

"No," Audry answered, throwing him a look that said _as if. "I was just thinking."_

"_Just thinking?" Ron asked, a grin spreading across his face._

Audry glared at him. "What? It's suddenly a sin to be quiet and not talk for once?"

"No--" Harry started to say. Ron interrupted him.

"You've been spacing all morning. You weren't even paying attention during Transfiguration, which, I think, was why Hermione was part vegetable garden for seven minutes."

Hermione's cheeks reddened, but she didn't pursue the matter.

"It's nothing, really," she said. She rubbed her forehead as if she suddenly had a headache. "I've been having really weird dreams lately, that's all. And I had the strangest vision this morning when I was getting ready for classes."

"That explains that," Hermione noted over her goblet of pumpkin juice. She took a sip of it and turned the page of her Arithmancy book, which was propped up against the pitcher. Audry glanced coolly at her. For the first time in almost two weeks, Harry heard the same whispering in his head that he had heard at the start of the year feast, and again in the dream last night. He zoned in on it, frowning in concentration, and heard a snippet for the first time. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he didn't feel that the words had to be repeated out loud.

Audry frowned. "There's one thing I don't get," she said softly.

"What's that?" Ron asked, glaring slightly at Hermione, who did nothing but turn another page in her book.

Audry looked up. "Huh?" she said, as if she didn't know what he was talking about. "Oh. Never mind."

"She's a strange one," Ron commented to Harry, who nodded soberly.

Five minutes before lunch was over, Fred and George tapped Harry as he was getting up to go to Herbology. Frog-marching him over to an empty spot near where Katie and Alicia were sitting, they pushed him into the chair and began to speak.

"We've arranged the quidditch tryouts to be after lunch on this Friday. We _were going to have it Saturday, but that's the day of the Hogsmede visit. You __did hear about the trip, didn't you?" Fred announced._

"I think McGonagall shouted it out to us as we were leaving her class this morning," Harry said. "I wasn't quite sure. We were too busy laughing and making all kinds of ruckus."

"Right. Well, tell everyone you think would be a good candidate, and I'll post a notice on the board later this evening. Make sure that Longbottom boy doesn't come anywhere near the quidditch field, Harry," George ordered him. "I'd rather he stayed with both his feet firmly planted on the ground than on a broom up in the air." Harry grinned and began to stand up.

"Make sure that you talk to your girlfriend, Audry, or whatever her name is, about trying out. I know she's said that she doesn't even know what it is--which is a sin, if you ask me--but she's got the right build for a chaser."

"And a seeker, and a keeper, and she has more than enough spunk to relieve you two of a job, as I mentioned on Monday," Harry reminded them. "I'll ask her 'bout it, okay? And for the final time, _she's not my girlfriend! She 's a friend, who just happens to be a girl."_

"Right," George said again, a grin stealing across his face. "Just ask her. And try to prod Ginny a bit, too.  She's a terrific chaser, and could even give you a run for the money in a race to the Snitch. She's not quite as observant as you, though," he added as an afterthought.

"_You prod Ginny," Harry told him. "She's your sister, in case you forgot."_

"Yeah, but she'll never listen to us!" Fred interrupted, pushing George into the table. "We're her brothers, and she thinks that we think of everything as a joke."

"Newsflash," Alicia stated. "You_ do think of everything as a joke!"_

"Good point," the Weasley twins said in unison, identical grins of mischief on their faces.

Harry stood up, shaking his head and walking back over to Ron, Hermione, and Audry. The latter two of the three were in a heavy argument about something. Harry didn't give them any time to finish it, however, and began to usher them towards the doors.

They continued to bicker all the way down to the greenhouses that they were to use for the Herbology class with the Hufflepuffs that was scheduled for that afternoon.

"The wind's picking up," Ron noted over Audry and Hermione's shrill and angry voices. "There'll be a storm before long."

Harry nodded in agreement. "When d'you think these two will stop?" he asked in a whisper.

"Not sure, though I'm sure it won't be pretty. Hermione was pretty angry with her after the bean plant incident."

"Don't tell Malfoy; he'll make her the laughingstock of the school, and she'll _never stop screaming to her about that!"_

"Hurry up now," Professor Sprout said, opening the door and letting them file in. No sooner had she done so when Ron's prediction of a storm came true and the skies opened up. Everyone glanced warily at the ceiling at the tirade above and around them, as though the glass could break from the incessant pounding.

"Today we will be working on one of the most interesting plants in Herbology," Professor Sprout announced, trying to get everyone's attention by waving her spade in the air as she spoke. Most of the class focused on her; at least they did until one of the back windows broke with a shatter and rain began to pour in, making the greenhouse very cold. Students in the back lunged for their cloaks and attempted to protect themselves from the falling shards, while others simply ran out of the way. Harry felt a rush of air and shivered, grabbing his cloak from where he had placed it on top of his bag. Hermione groaned as she reached for her bag.

"I've left mine back up at the castle," she said to no one in particular. "That's funny, though," she continued. "I could have sworn that I wore it down here." Harry shrugged and scooted over until he was close enough to share his. He shivered again, this time not from the cold. He hadn't been this close to Hermione since the mini-ball.

Harry wasn't surprised to see that other people were sharing his idea of doubling up with those that had neglected to bring their cloaks. He glanced to his left and saw that Ron and Audry were doubling up as well, even though her cloak was in plain sight underneath the table, sitting atop her bag.

"Don't panic," Professor Sprout called over the ruckus in the back, where people were trying to dislodge glass shards from their cloaks and, in one case, hair.

She ended up sending three people up to the Hospital Wing due to cuts on their faces, arms, and shoulders. After repairing the broken window, she turned back to the class, which was still huddling together. Throwing up her hands in defeat, she said, "Forget it. Pack up your things and head back up to the castle." She pointed to a group of very wilted plants at the front of the room. "These plants need to be kept warm at all times, and if exposed to sudden cold they are useless." She shook her head and went to see what could be done to the ruined plants. Harry stood up and collected his bag.

"You heard her," he said to the slightly surprised students. "Let's go." They walked to the door and, cloaks thrown around them, some with two people underneath, they headed up to the castle, battling ferocious winds.

~*~

"Holy moly," Audry gasped, heading for the girls dormitory when they reached the common room. Harry could feel Hermione shivering violently beside him.

"Ooh," she moaned, her teeth chattering. "I don't remember being this cold ever!"

"Two words," Harry said, rubbing her arms with his hands. "Quidditch practice." Ron took his cloak in both his hands and began to wring it out; water splashed onto the ground.

"What about it?" he asked.

"In third year, for the beginning of the season I wasn't properly dry," Harry replied. His hands felt as if they were going to fall off.

"Oh. It's not about being wet at the moment," Hermione told him. "I'm just really, really cold!"

"Go sit in front of the fire, then," Ron told her.

"It's not burning," Audry said. She sneezed and everyone turned. She had changed her clothes and gabbed several warm-looking blankets. Without saying anything, Hermione grabbed one and headed up to the boys dormitory.  All of the other students followed suit, since there was no reason for staying in the common room if it didn't have a fire.

"That was cold," Audry murmured, wrapping one tightly around her own shoulders. She looked around briefly, to make sure everyone else was gone.  At Ron's inquisitive look, she said, "Don't want everyone crowding, do we?"  He just shook his head derisively. She went and sat down in front of the hearth and placed a few logs in the grate. With a shaking hand, she pointed her wand at them and mumbled something. They glowed briefly before bursting into flame. "Oh, this is nice," she said, putting her wand away and leaning up against a chair. Ron sat down in the chair and nearly thrust his hands into the fire. Audry sighed and leaned against Ron's leg, causing him to jump.

"Awww, how sweet," a gruff voice said from the top of the stairs. Harry looked up to see Sirius's smiling face.

"You're not supposed to be here!" he cried in surprise.

"Audry looked up as well. "Do...I know you?" she asked, squinting as if to see him better.

"Hello to you too, Harry," Sirius joked before turning to the American. "I don't think so. I'm Sirius, Harry's godfather."

"No…maybe…" Audry shook her head. "Where's my brain...? Audry. I'm Harry's friend!" She grinned broadly as Sirius laughed.

"I would have stayed in your dorm room, Harry, except Hermione came up there and began to change her clothes. Is it me, or does she look a bit bony?"

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. He could feel his face grow warm. An indignant shriek erupted from the dorm room in question, as though Hermione had heard him. Sirius shrugged, a devilish look on his face. Audry scoffed and peered back at him closely once more.

"Wait a sec...you're Sirius Black, that escaped convict, aren't you?"

"Today is not my day," Sirius murmured.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the run, then?" Audry questioned him, looking suspicious. "You're not going to grab one of our wands and kill us, are you?"

"Aren't you supposed to be wary of strangers?" Sirius argued.

"I know your name, therefore you are not a stranger. Well, to me, at least."

Harry buried his head in his hands while Ron sniggered. "Audry," he groaned.

"Sorry, my mouth's running away again, isn't it? Nice to meet you, but you--"

"Sirius, why were you in the dormitory?" Hermione asked, pulling the blanket she had taken from Audry around her shoulders as she re-entered the common room.

"I was hiding," he answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not even supposed to be talking to you! Dumbledore called us all to the castle to talk about...something." He looked away when Harry tried to look him in the eye.

"What is it?" Audry asked. "Something about Harry? And...living arrangements, since your aunt _did_ kick you out."

Harry turned to her, slightly surprised. "I never told you about that," he said slowly. "Did either of you?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"No, not that I can remember," Hermione said. Ron nodded in agreement.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you should consider telling her the whole story, and why it's so important that she know."

"I hate it when you're serious, Sirius," Harry told him soberly.

"I'm always Sirius," he answered. Turning into the large black dog that was his Animagus form, he padded to the portrait hole and pushed it open. With a swish of his tail, he disappeared, letting the portrait snap shut.

"Whoa," Audry breathed with a slight shake of her head. 'That was...interesting..."

They spent the rest of the afternoon in front of the fireplace, trying to keep warm. Many of the students had drifted back down to the common room, and so the spot around the fireplace was much more crowded.  Harry watched Hermione shoot occasional glares in Audry's direction. By the time they went down to supper an hour and a half later the two were bickering again.

"I don't get those two," Ron said, watching as Audry made a slight lunging motion to Hermione. The prefect put up a hand to prevent Audry's face from hitting her arm and began to shriek at her.

"I know," Harry said, nodding his head. "Hermione's never been like this, except perhaps with Malfoy."

"At least I don't try to seduce every male in the school!" Harry heard Hermione yell.

"Uh-oh," Ron said.

"Well, at least I'm not an anorexic bitch who thinks grades are everything!"

"A-anorexic bitch?!" Hermione stuttered, fury making her voice raise an octave or two. She threw herself at the now surprised teen, grabbing her hair and dragging her nails across Audry's face. Audry yanked her head back and grabbed the back of Hermione's robes and hauled the prefect off her feet. Even though Audry was shorter than Hermione by several inches, her muscles were obviously not just for show.

"Oh, dear," Harry sighed. "If they don't stop--"

"--they'll end up in the hospital wing, or worse," Ron finished. "I'll grab Audry; you get Hermione." Harry watched Ron start off in the fighters' direction and Harry followed. With strength that Harry didn't know Ron had, he pulled them apart and held them at arm's length. Hermione ignored him and continued to yank on Audry's hair. Harry noticed several brown-black strands littering the floor.

"Hermione," Harry hissed at her, pulling her away from Ron and Audry, who was now yelling insults in a foreign language that Harry couldn't understand. He glanced back and saw that Ron had made an unwise choice by teaming himself with the violent American; she was now starting to fight him! "Hermione, what do you think you were doing? You could have gotten your prefect badge revoked!"

"Let me at her!" she shrieked, completely ignoring his comment. Harry was just on the verge of slapping her when she hissed, "She's trying to steal you from me." To Audry, she roared, "Go back to America, bitch!"

Harry thrust her back against the wall and pulled his hand back to slap her. She flinched and he stopped. Harry pulled back his other arm and watched her slide down the wall to the floor, her head cradled limply in her hands.

"What am I doing?" she asked no one. When she looked up, Harry saw she was in tears. Harry helped her up and gave her a tentative hug. She sobbed into his shoulder for no apparent reason.

"What _were_ you doing?" Harry asked softly when she pulled away, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. Hermione shrugged and murmured something. "You've always told Ron and I--"

"Ron and me," she corrected with a sniff.

"--that violence never solves anything, no matter how good it feels to pound Malfoy into a pulp," he finished. Hermione sniffed again but said nothing. "Why--_what_ on Earth possessed you to even resort to name calling?"

"She's such a know-it-all," she began, her fury returning in a rush. Harry began to laugh and found that he couldn't stop. He looked up, clutching his stomach, and stopped almost immediately at the sad look on her face. "Why do you think that's so funny?"

"Because she's almost the opposite of you, yet everyone calls _you_ a know-it-all," Harry said. "You spend your free time reading; she'd rather be talking or being the center of attention, much like Fred and George--minus the pranks. You help the underdogs; she ignores them. You hate divination; she's actually good at it!"

"Really?" Hermione said, surprised.

"Yeah," Harry said softly. "It's funny to see her telling off old Trelawney about which method of fortune telling is the best!" He gently prodded her swelling cheek and said, "It might be a good idea to get you two up to the hospital wing now."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed. "I pounded her pretty hard." Harry glanced between the two. Audry was still fighting Ron, and seemed to have acquired a red hand mark along her collarbone. Harry suspected that Ron had been putting her through a vice-grip of a sort. Something else he noticed was that Hermione was a lot worse for wear than Audry.

"Right," he said, not wanting to get her any more riled up. "If you promise not to attack her..." he trailed off and jerked his head in the direction of Audry and Ron.

Hermione made a face. "What do you think I am? A _boy_?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Harry said with a hurt tone in his voice. He gave her a lopsided grin, which made her smile, and turned to Ron and Audry. He approached them gingerly, aware that people were beginning to stare at them.

"...thought they were dating!" he heard one person say.

"What the...?" another said.

"Er...Ron?" he said as Ron pulled Audry's fist away from his face. "Audry?" he said to the American. She turned and faced him.

"You done talking to the bitch?" she asked, practically spitting out the last word.

"Audry," Harry began.

"No, don't you, 'Audry' me! I have had enough of that to last me a lifetime! I want to know what the hell is wrong with her!"

"I could ask you the same," Ron told her, shaking her slightly. She stared back defiantly, her lips pressed tightly together. "Listen up," he said finally, his voice sounding unlike Harry had heard it before. "If you don't apologize to Hermione for the name calling that you did..."

"You'll what?" Audry shot at him. "Beat me up? For your information--"

"Give it a break!" Harry said angrily, throwing up his hand in the air. "Audry, just _apologize_! She's not about to hurt you anymore--"

"Harry, you don't understand," she hissed. Her eyes darted about as she looked him in the eyes. Harry swallowed. At the moment, the brilliant green seemed to be flashing.

"You're right; I don't understand why you two can't just get along," Harry murmured to her so that only she could hear.

"Because…" she began, biting her lip, which, Harry noticed, was bleeding at the corner.

"Never mind," Ron said, turning her around and pointing her in the direction of the hospital wing. "Let's just get you two off to the infirmary." Harry returned to Hermione's side, who took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said as they followed Ron and Audry down the corridor. "If you're still mad at me—"

"What gave you the idea that I was mad at you?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"Well, when you…when you nearly smacked me…" She trailed off.

"You weren't listening to me," Harry said. "It was the last thing I wanted to do, and the only thing I could think of—at the moment, that is."

Hermione gave Harry another small smile and then glanced at Audry. She hesitated, and then began to speak. "Audry, I…I'm sorry for—"

"It's okay, Hermione," Audry interrupted. "I was wrong too."

"Well, isn't this sweet," Malfoy drawled, spotting them as they came to a branch-off of the corridor.

"Get lost, Dumb," Audry sneered.

"Skive off, Malfoy," Ron said at the same time. Malfoy gave him a small grin, which looked more like a grimace, and turned to Harry.

"We didn't find your trick too nice," he told him, his silver-gray eyes narrowing to slits.

"What trick?" Harry asked, confused.

"Just remember," Malfoy said, ignoring him. "When the Dark Lord comes, he'll be after your friends first—what is better?  To put the Boy Who Lived in pain?  Or to put his friends there first?" Audry wrenched away from Ron, much to his surprise, and punched the sneering Slytherin as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards, a hand clamped over his nose, crying out.

"Maybe he should reconsider," she said. Malfoy tripped over Harry's foot and fell to the ground. Blood spattered on the floor. Audry walked over and kneeled by his head. "And maybe _you_ should consider watching what your mouth says. One day, you will need us, and when that time comes, you had _better_ hope that we're willing to help." Audry shook her hand a few times, and then stood up, seeming to gain a few inches in height. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she began to walk towards the hospital wing. She turned suddenly and looked down on Malfoy once more. "You might want to wait for twenty minutes or so to see Madam Pomfrey. Tell her…you fell down the stairs. Which you did, right, Draco?" The way she said it made Harry shiver. He glanced at Ron, who looked startled. He grabbed the crook of her arm and pulled her in the direction of the Hospital Wing once more.

The nurse was not pleased at the sight of the two Gryffindor girls. Hermione's right eye had swollen up so much that it was nearly shut, and she had scratches all over her face. Audry's left sleeve had been ripped from her robes, revealing a bloody cut. Her face also had numerous scratches, and she complained of a splitting headache. Harry suspected it was from Hermione tugging at her hair, but said nothing.

When Madam Pomfrey asked what happened, Audry proudly announced that they fell down the stairs from the girls' side of Gryffindor tower. The woman looked doubtful, glancing at the scratches on each girl's face, but healed them anyway.

Audry and Hermione seemed to have forgiven each other, for the time being anyway. Both were overly polite to one another during the evening meal.

After finishing his bowl of lukewarm soup, Harry looked up at the enchanted ceiling and watched the forked lightning dance about the sky.

"Some storm we're having," Audry remarked. "You know, I don't recall hearing that England was so cold—or so wet!"

"It's not normally so cold, and the storms aren't really as fierce as this one," Ron told her.

"Maybe it's a hurricane," Audry suggested. She looked slightly scared, but Hermione piped up at that point.

"I don't think we're close enough to the ocean for a hurricane," Hermione said. She blew on her spoonful of soup to cool it a bit and then swallowed it. Harry felt someone tap his shoulder lightly, so he turned around. Professor McGonagall stood behind him, her lips pulled into a tight line. For one wild moment, Harry thought she was angry. The next he could have sworn she was about to burst into tears.

"Come with me, Potter," she said, her voice trembling. Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as confused as he felt. His gaze went to Hermione next. She was watching McGonagall with eagle eyes over her goblet of pumpkin juice. As he stood, he looked to Audry. Her eyes were narrowed and a frown was planted on her lips. Harry turned and walked out behind his head of house. When they reached the silent Entrance Hall, McGonagall closed the door and stared at it for a moment or two, one hand still resting on it. She sighed, turned to Harry, and he spotted a tear falling down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, startled.

"Albus wishes to see you in his office immediately," she said quietly.

"Look, if this is about Audry's and Hermione's fight earlier—"

"What? No…go, Potter. Tell the gargoyle the password—licorice wands—and see Albus." She turned and walked away, pulling what looked like a tissue out of the sleeve of her robes. Harry frowned, wondering what had gotten her so upset, and began to walk in the direction of Dumbledore's office.

By the time he had reached the stone gargoyle, he was so anxious with fear of something happening to Sirius that he didn't want to go up the moving staircase he knew lay beyond the ugly thing. He stared at it for a few moments, seeming to take in every fold of "skin" on the statue, and finally gave the password. It leapt aside and revealed the passage and staircase, which Harry stepped onto. He heard the grating of stone and knew the passage was closing. It was too late to turn back, even if he had wanted to.

Harry stepped off the staircase and studied the door, much as he had the statue but moments before. _I could turn back,_ he thought. He shook his head. _I _mustn't_ turn back…I have to go through with this…_Balling his hand into a fist, he rapped lightly on the door and waited for an answer. Dumbledore opened the door, looking older and more wizened than Harry believed was possible.

"Come on in, Harry," he said soberly. Harry did so. As the door snapped shut behind him, Harry noticed Sirius in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. What made him almost dart back down the stairs again was the fact that he had his face in his hands--_and_ _appeared to be crying!_

_This can't be good,_ Harry thought. He had never seen Sirius this way—didn't want to see Sirius this way—and it took a good portion of willpower to get himself to sit down in the chair next to Sirius' and listen to Dumbledore. His godfather sat up when he heard Harry come around behind him, and Harry had to force himself to look neutrally at his red and puffy eyes.

"Sirius, perhaps you should tell him the story," Dumbledore told him quietly. Harry glanced back to his godfather.

"Tell me what?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Almost reluctantly, Sirius glanced at Harry, took a deep, shuddering breath, and began to speak.

"We should have told you about this long ago," he announced. He brought up a semi-grimy hand to his filthy hair and scratched at his head.

Beginning to become irritated, but still dreading whatever Sirius was going to tell him, he asked, "Told me what?"

Sirius took another deep breath and looked down at his knees. "When Voldemort arrived at your house almost fourteen years ago, he intended to kill you and your father, but primarily you," Sirius continued. "Evidently, he read somewhere that you and…" he trailed off and gulped.

"Continue, Sirius," Dumbledore told him.

"My father?" Harry pressed. He now knew that he didn't want to know what was coming. He didn't know what was telling him so fiercely that he didn't want to hear it, but his always-traitorous mouth spoke without bidding once more. "My mother?"

"No," Sirius said slowly. He gulped again and looked up at Harry. His eyes were telling Harry _I'm sorry I'm sorry_ _I'm sorry I'm sorry_ _I'm sorry I'm sorry_ _I'm sorry I'm sorry,_ but like Harry, he kept talking. "You and your"—he sped up—"sister would be his downfall."

"I don't believe I heard you correctly," Harry said.

"You heard correctly," Dumbledore told him.

"But I can't have—I would have seen her here, at Hogwarts—wouldn't I?" Harry realized he must have given Dumbledore a look of pleading, for he shook his head and stood up.

"I am sorry you had to find out now, but I had written it all in that letter that I left with you for your aunt and uncle," he told him. Harry felt his nose and eyes begin to itch and looked down at his knees as well.

"She was found dead a few feet from your father," Sirius said in a dull voice. "You two were indistinguishable, almost, except that she was a girl and you a boy. And the fact that she kept her blue eyes, and yours turned to green within a few weeks of your birth." Sirius began to shake.

Not quite trusting his voice, but needing an excuse to leave, Harry said, "Thank you, Professor." He got to his feet. "I have homework—Potions—you understand."

He felt rather than saw Dumbledore's smile. "Of course, Harry. If you need anything…" he left the offer standing as Harry reached the door. Controlling his face, he turned again and forced a smile.

"No, thank you," he said. The scene of Cedric Diggory lying dead on the grass in that graveyard where Voldemort had been reborn flashed in front of his eyes, nearly crumbling his resolve. He turned hastily and speed-walked down the stairs.

As the wall slid open, the sound of whistling met his ears. He furrowed his brow, listening to the tune, and then shook his head as he recognized it as _Take Me Out To The Ballgame_.

Audry looked up as he stepped out. "Harry!" she cried, dropping off from the whistling. "Fancy meeting you here, of all places!"

"Yeah," Harry said dully. "Fancy that."

"Something wrong?" she asked, falling into step beside him. Harry, unthinkingly, had started back towards the Great Hall. Changing his mind so fast that Audry had to turn and run to keep up, he headed back to Gryffindor tower. She absently pulled the sleeve of her robe that had been ripped back over her shoulder and said, "Harry, you okay?"

Harry ignored her and kept walking. If he really had a sister, he would have a picture in the photo album. _A baby with black hair and blue eyes; a little sister. Or…_Harry began to wonder. _Was she older than me? Was she a_—he hated to think it—_a mistake?_

"Earth to Harry…?" Audry's voice cut through his thoughts. "Earth to Harry? Come in, Harry!"

"Harry!" He almost turned at the sound of Hermione's voice. He knew that Audry was there, however, and he didn't want to break down…not yet… "Harry! Would you slow down? 

Audry, what's wrong with him?"

"Dunno. He's said barley three words since coming out of that office," Harry heard Audry tell Hermione. Hermione sped up and came to Harry's left side.

"Harry, did something happen to Snuffles?" she asked him.

Harry shook his head.

"Was your aunt killed?" Audry asked.

Another shake.

"Did you get your prefect badge revoked?"

Harry shook his head once more.

"Did Hedwig run away with another man?" Audry joked. He heard Hermione smack her in the back of the head. "I wish you'd stop doing that," Hermione told her.

"Mister Toad," Harry told the Fat Lady.

"An excellent character from an excellent Muggle book," she said back with a grin. Harry clambered through before it was even fully open, which meant that he scraped his arm on the sharp edge, ripping his robes. Ignoring the pain, Harry headed up to his dormitory and pushed open his trunk.

"Harry, what is going on?" Hermione asked, coming in. Harry turned and saw her close the door. A thump announced that Audry had been trying to follow. He leaned back against his trunk, stopping his search, and put his face in his hands. "If you don't tell me right now—" Hermione started.

"I have a sister," he interrupted.

"What?" she said, clearly not expecting this answer.

"_Had_. Excuse me."

"_What_?!" she repeated, this time with more force.

Harry turned back to his trunk and rummaged around until he found the photo album that Hagrid had given him back in his first year. He had never shown it to anyone, not even Ron. Neither of his two closest friends even knew about it.

"Harry, what's that?" Hermione asked slowly. Harry ignored the question and flipped through it until he found a picture that had his parents, Sirius, him, and a baby that Harry had always assumed to be the daughter of a friend of the family, perhaps of the person who had taken the picture. James Potter smiled and put his arm around his wife, who leaned into him.

"Here," Harry said, removing the picture and passing it to her. Hermione took it and looked at it.

"I didn't know you had pictures of your family," she said. She flipped it over. "'Sirius, James, Lily, Harry, Cassandra; 31 July, 1981.' Harry, that's exactly three months before your parents died!"

"And my sister," Harry said quietly.

"Pardon?" she said, still confused. "Harry, what are you going on about? You don't have a sister."

Harry took the picture back and showed her what her hand had covered. "'Harry and Cassie's first birthday party.'" 

"Do you realize what this means?" Hermione asked.

"That I'm an orphan _and_ an only child anyway due to the fact that Voldemort killed my whole family and destroyed the life they worked hard to maintain?"

"No." Hermione sat down in front of him on the floor. She cupped his face in her hands. "She was your twin. Not only did you have a sister, but she was linked to you. If some of the things I've read before about twins are true, the power of magical twins, if broken, goes on living. Since she died, her power is in _you_. Any power that she had, or that would be developed as she grew older, is now in you. When life fled from her body, the magic went right to you, protecting you in a way your mother's love did not." Hermione paused and drew closer. "It protected you from madness, Harry. Do you think you were the only one to which this has happened to? Certainly, you are the only one who has succeeded in actually defeating a Dark Lord in that fashion, but are you so naïve that you think that you are the only one this has happened to?"

Harry stared back at her. It was amazing how hard it was to concentrate when she was so close to him.

"Harry, every other person this has happened to has gone mad, or was even _killed anyway_. My guess is that Cassandra had some sort of protection against madness—if she went through something that would cause her to go mad, it would not work. Say, prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse, or the Babbling Curse, or something. When she died, it went to you."

"I can see why a person would go mad under the Cruciatus," Harry whispered. His mind was saying, _I don't know why I'm not going mad with you holding me like this and me not doing anything about it._

Suddenly, Hermione said, "Harry, did you ever have an imaginary friend when you were young?"

Harry felt his face go slightly red. "I had no friends before Hogwarts. In my dreams sometimes I would see a girl about my age with blue eyes and short curly black hair. _She_ was my friend; she stood up for me when Dudley and his friends—I have no idea why my subconscious put them in there—and when I was so lonely that I would…" he trailed off slightly. He had never mentioned this much about his past to Ron or Hermione. They had never asked, and he had never volunteered before this moment.

"That you would cry?" Hermione asked softly. "That you would curl up and try to fade into the shadows?" Harry nodded. Memories that he had banished to the very back of his mind suddenly flooded forward and spilled from his mouth like a river flooding its banks. He told Hermione about his earliest memories; he told her about his horrible times at school; and he told her about his elation (and suspicion) when Hagrid had first shown up and told him about the wizarding world—and about how his parents _really_ died. By the time he had finished, he was slightly hoarse, and his throat was scratchy.

"Would you believe that I didn't even expect presents my first Christmas here?" he asked her. Hermione shook her head and wiped a few stray tears from her face.

"I can't believe that we've never heard that story before," she said quietly, her voice slightly shaky.

Harry hesitated. "I'm actually sort of glad that you never asked to hear it," he told her finally. She furrowed her brow. "To me, you and Ron always seemed to have the life that I've always wished for. Ron with his eight siblings and loving family, you with your parents who always pushed you to do your best, even while you were in Muggle schooling." Hermione ducked her head and blushed slightly. Harry leaned even closer to her so that there was perhaps and inch between their faces. Hermione looked up once more, her brown eyes scanning his green ones.

"Harry," she said slowly. She looked as if she didn't want to ask the question, but at the moment he would have told her anything, just so long as he could keep staring at her. "What happened in June when you disappeared from the Quidditch field and came back with Cedric?"

Anything but that.

He sighed, stood up and went to the door. Audry was still laying spread eagled on the carpet, her eyes slightly crossed. A dribble of blood was coming from her nose. 

"Harry?" 

"Help me wake her up," he said, ignoring her original question.

"Harry—"

Harry looked up at her and knew it was a mistake. He could feel his eyes and nose itching again, and something wet dripped down from his eye to his chin. Hermione was leaning up against the doorframe, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Oh, Harry." She came and knelt down by him and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She leaned forward to kiss him—

"Gaaah!" Audry yelled, sitting straight up and knocking both teens askew. "Holy shiote, what the hell were you two doing? Trying to kill me, or somethin'?"

"Pardon me?" Hermione said, trying to sit up. Harry quickly wiped his face and attempted to look (and sound) like nothing was wrong. Audry swept out her arm as she stood up and knocked Hermione over again.

"Wha…" Audry ignored Hermione's cry of pain and looked around. "What happened?"

"Err…" Harry glanced at Hermione, who was attempting to get up again. "Hermione accidentally closed the door on your face, judging by the fact that your nose is bleeding." Audry looked down at her nose (making herself quite cross-eyed in the process) and touched the base of it.

"Ewww," she said as she pulled it away. "I'll be right back…" Audry down the stairs and turned right to go to her dormitory. Harry looked back down at Hermione, who was still on the ground.

"Harry, I thought that I should let you know…I'm moving back into the girls dormitory tonight. Padma's going back to the Ravenclaws, so I don't need to be staying in here anymore."

Harry held out his hand to help her up. "Back downstairs earlier," he said calmly, as though he hadn't been in tears moments before. "When you and Audry were fighting? She called you…" he thought back for a moment until the unfamiliar word came to him. "An anorexic—" he stopped as Hermione flushed with remembered anger.

"Oh. That." She grasped Harry's hand and he pulled her up. "She's been pestering me about that. Thinking that I'm anorexic, that is, and I can't get it through her head that I'm not."

"But why would she think that in the first place? You've never been a picky eater, as far as I can remember."

"She keeps saying that I eat almost nothing during meals, and I sometimes skip lunch. I haven't skipped lunch in two weeks, and I told her so. She exploded on me and threatened to tell you if I didn't shape up."

"But why would she still say that?" Harry asked in confusion.

"I don't know…jealousy comes to mind." She grinned at him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "C'mon. Let's get your stuff together…"

~*~

Ron came up and joined them as they were shutting Hermione's trunk shut and helped them drag it over to the girl's dormitory. Audry was sitting on her bed, swapping dumb blond jokes with Parvati and Padma, much to Lavender's annoyance. Upon seeing them enter, Audry asked, "Why was the blond staring intently at the orange juice container in the supermarket?"

"Why?" Parvati and Padma asked, their laughter subsiding for the moment.

"Because it said, 'concentrate'!" The twins erupted into laughter while Lavender's frown increased.

The rest of the week went by smoothly with no other fights between Hermione and Audry, and Harry had no more strange dreams.

By Friday evening, Harry had managed to persuade both Audry and Ginny to try out for the quidditch team. Ginny seemed suspicious and asked if her brothers had anything to do with his asking. Harry only smiled, and the youngest Weasley blushed.

"Harry!" he heard Fred yell to him as he entered the Great Hall during supper.

"What?" he asked as the Weasley twin ran up to him.

"Meet me on the field in fifteen minutes. Actually, come with me now," he said, changing his mind as Harry tried to protest in hunger. "Go get your broom," Fred told him coldly when Harry voiced his protest finally. Reluctantly, Harry walked back into the Entrance Hall and up the stairs to grab his Firebolt, and then headed out to the Quidditch pitch. The rest of the team had gathered as well.

"Okay, here's the plan," George told them, handing out clipboards to the team. "We'll be trying out the chasers first. We have"— he consulted his list—"two second years, a third year, three fourth years, a fifth year, and a sixth year trying out—that's eight people all together. Then we'll do the keepers. For that we have"—he consulted his list again—"a second year, a fourth year, two fifth years, and a seventh year; that's five, making a total of thirteen."

"What order are we going in?" Harry asked.

"Pardon?" Fred said.

"What order are we going to do the students in? From where they signed up, class year, alphabetical order, birth-date?"

"Class year," Fred announced after a moment of thinking. "Starting from the oldest. Harry, since you're only a seeker—"

"_Only_ a seeker?" Katie asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's the best damn one Gryffindor's ever had!"

"—you will be the keeper. Do _not_, under any circumstances, favor your girlfriend, or Ginny, or that boy, Tucker Glims, who's in your year."

"Fred, I've never played the keeper position," Harry told him. "And Audry is still not my girlfriend!"

"Get up there and practice being keeper, then," George said. "And he knows she's not your bloody girlfriend; he just thinks he funny."

"You mean I'm not?" Fred said in shock.

"You heard the man," Audry said, coming onto the field.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to him." Fred frowned suddenly. "Didn't I write up not to come out until one of us leads you down?"

"Well, yeah, but I kinda need to practice. I've never ridden a broom before, so I'm not entirely sure that I'm any good."

Katie and Alicia turned to glare at the Weasley twins, who stood gaping at the American. "You mean to tell us that you've never seen her fly?" Alicia asked angrily. "She could kill herself trying out!"

"Alicia, did you forget how Harry earned his position on the team? Get up there, by the way, Potter!" Harry shook his head and, while ignoring the seventh years' bicker, took to the air. He couldn't help grinning as he flew around the stadium a few times. He hadn't been on a broom since the previous November, during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Slowing to a stop in front of one of the goal posts, Harry looked down on his team and Audry. Katie had taken to poking one of the Weasleys in the chest while he gestured with one of his hands towards Audry. Audry was, in turn, ignoring the team and busy mounting her broom. From the sky, Harry saw her hair begin to float up around her head, whipping around violently. Ever so slowly, she rose up above the ground.

Harry watched in awe. He had no idea why, but he could have sworn that the wind itself had stopped. Never before had the sound of a broomstick rising above the ground been so loud. He was vaguely aware that the Weasleys, Alicia, and Katie had stopped arguing to watch her.

A frown of concentration creased Audry's face. Her green eyes were looking intently in front of her. She began to increase in speed, and before Harry knew it, she was flying in front of him, a grin on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me flying was this much fun?" she inquired, breaking the abrupt silence. The wind was back, ruffling their hair. Harry glanced back down and noticed that his teammates were back to fighting, but this time it was Fred and George doing the chest jabbing and Katie and Alicia gesturing wildly.

"Harry?" He looked up and nearly fell off his broom. His mother sat on thin air before him. He blinked, and Audry was giving him a strange look from where Lily Potter had been seconds before. "Harry? You okay?"

"What? Yeah," he said, finally finding his voice. Audry's grin flashed back.

"You wanna race?" she asked.

Harry grinned back. "Here to the other side and back?"

"You got it. Go!" They took off, laughing, to the opposite end of the field. They were neck and neck for a long stretch; slowly, Harry started to inch his way ahead of his friend. They careened around one of the golden posts. Harry heard an anxious scream come from below, but he ignored it.

The wind pulled its fingers through his hair and slapped at his face, making his cheeks raw and his eyes water. It whistled in his ears and made involuntary shivers run up and down his spine.

The golden hoops were drawing closer and closer. A full foot was between him and Audry now, he realized as he looked back. He looked forward again and—

"Harry! Look out!" four voices screamed from below. Harry glanced around and saw that a heavily cloaked figure, obviously have taking off from one of the turrets of the school, was hurtling towards him and Audry. A long white face with huge, gaping black eyes and a cartoon rendition of a mouth was under the trailing cowl—a mask, Harry noted. Long wisps of yellow-white hair streaked from underneath the cowl. Harry leaned to the right and down, crashing into Audry as he did so and bearing her down to the ground. The cloaked person had more speed than he did, however, and caught both teens by the shoulders. They stopped so abruptly that their brooms tumbled to the ground.

Harry could feel Audry shaking violently beside him. The figure seemed to be examining the teens up and down. A ghostly, echoing voice that sounded more like a group of voices began to speak.

"_Gemini speaks for the congregation; Leo and Leona for truth. Angels grace the skies above on items made of wood. The Lions will discover all, lest naught but lies remain. So quoth the fiery bird._"

"P-pardon?" Harry stammered. The cloaked figure seemed to watch the frightened teens for a few more moments, and then vanished so suddenly that Audry screamed and lunged through the air to grab Harry. Harry yelled and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the hard ground to claim them. When it didn't, he opened his eyes and discovered that they hadn't moved at all.

"We-we're not moving," he stuttered. Audry popped a wary eye open and scanned the air around them.

"Audry! Harry! Are you two okay?" George yelled from below.

"Y-yeah!" Audry yelled back.

"Audry?" Harry said.

"What?"

"You can let go of me now."

"Oh…heh." She gave him a feeble grin and released him. They still hovered in mid-air, unmoving, so Harry yelled at Fred to bring their brooms up. He did so, and they managed to get down to safety.

"What _was_ that thing?" Katie asked shakily.

"I'm going to postpone tryouts," Fred said at the same time.

"No, it's okay," Audry said, still shaking. "I'm fine! That…that thing didn't hurt us at all."

Harry frowned.

"What's wrong?" George asked him.

"Whatever that thing was, I think it gave a prophecy of some sort. But Audry's right," he added quickly before the twins, Katie, and Alicia could question him. "Neither of us is hurt, so we can continue with the tryouts as planned."

"Please?" Audry asked, pouting ferociously. 

"Alright. Katie, go get the others and we'll begin."

It took ten minutes for Katie to gather the twelve remaining students who were trying out down onto the field, and another five to get them to quiet down. Audry ended up sticking two fingers into her mouth and letting out a piercing whistle that hurt Harry's ears.

"_Thank_ you, Audry," Fred told her. He then proceeded to tell the students what they were going to do (only occasionally interrupted by George), and sent Harry, Katie, and Alicia into the air. Harry felt a swoop of fright as he mounted his broom once more, not wanting to be caught by a cloaked figure and paraded seventy feet or more above the grass again. It quickly faded however, and he gritted his teeth and took to the air.

Katie and Alicia were already circling around in the middle of the field, so Harry flew over to the three golden hoops and waited for Fred to send up the first contestant—_Or should I say "victim"?_ he thought with a grin. Gryffindor was known for its quidditch matches, since they had won almost every single one since Harry became seeker. Only two matches had been lost; the first was in his first year, and he, Harry, had been in the hospital wing, unconscious. The second had been in his third year. Harry shuddered as the image of a dementor came unbidden into his mind.

"Samantha Craigs, would you please come forward and explain your past experience with quidditch," George announced after a brief conference with his brother. Harry watched 

Samantha step out of the huddle of students. She was a plain looking sixteen-year-old with long brown hair and doe-like brown eyes.

Harry glanced at Katie and Alicia. "She'll have to cut her hair if she wants to be on the team," Alicia noted. Harry nodded, noting her boyishly short-cut curls and Katie's chin-length copper red hair.

"She could just have it pulled back all the time," Katie argued. "That's what I did at first."

"And then you saw the flaws of that when—who was it? Flint, I believe?—yanked on the ponytail and put you out of commission for the last match of that year." Katie grinned sheepishly.

Samantha must have finished her "oral exam", because she swung one of her legs over her broomstick (a Nimbus 2000, Harry noted) and kicked off. She circled around briefly and met Katie and Alicia in mid-air.

_Concentrate, Potter,_ Harry told himself, grasping the stick of his broom tighter. He released it slightly as he felt it tremble under his grip. "Sorry," he muttered to it, as though it could hear him.

"Why is he being keeper?" Samantha asked snottily as she spotted Harry. "I thought he was seeker!"

"He _is_ the seeker," Katie told her. "We don't have a keeper yet, so he's filling in for now." Samantha tossed her head haughtily and let her eyes fall on Harry. He was surprised to see how much menace was in them.

"This will be a piece of cake, then," she said so quietly that Harry almost couldn't hear her. Alicia and Katie's faces hardened suddenly.

_Give it your best,_ Harry thought to Katie and Alicia. _If she doesn't survive you, then it won't matter if she gets past me!_

"Get ready!" George yelled from below. Harry saw him wave his wand and something silvery appeared in his mouth. Seconds before the ringing sound of a whistle filled the stadium, Harry realized what it was and shifted his eyes back onto the girls.

Katie and Alicia zoomed forward, passing the quaffle between them so fast that Harry almost couldn't see it. Samantha, obviously surprised at their abrupt absence of the space around her, didn't notice that they were gone until they were halfway to Harry. She sped off after them and intercepted the quaffle in mid toss. She ascended slightly so that she was above Harry and tossed the ball with all her might. To his very great surprise, Harry found himself clutching the quaffle under one arm and hurriedly floating back down into position. Katie and Alicia turned suddenly, and Harry tossed it back to them. Again, Samantha intercepted and flew to the middle of the field and back towards Harry. This time, she took a different approach and again Harry caught it.

_Greedy little thing,_ he thought as he tossed it towards the girls again. _Not good team material._ Harry glanced down at the twins and nodded to signal that this 'match' was over. Just as Samantha pushed Katie out of the way to catch the quaffle, George blew the whistle.

"Uurg!" the sixth year growled angrily, glaring around at the three teammates in the air. She flew down to the ground and spoke briefly with Fred, and then stomped off the field.

"O-kay," Harry mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"You would think that she was a Slytherin, or a Ravenclaw at the very least!" Alicia exclaimed, swooping over to talk to him. "By the way, nice job for a first try!"

"Maybe my grandfather was a keeper," Harry suggested with a shrug. "My dad played quidditch, so it would make sense if his father did too, wouldn't it?" Alicia nodded crisply and headed back to the middle of the field.

"Tucker Glims," Fred called out after glancing at his clipboard. Harry was slightly surprised to hear his roommate's name being called. Tucker was what Audry called 'a loner', since he never talked to anyone, he always sat alone during meals, and he gave only minimal effort during classes. Why he would want to play quidditch, a sport that made you an instant celebrity, was beyond Harry.

Tucker finished talking to Fred, and then mounted his broom and took to the air. He was a much better team player than Samantha had been. He, Katie, and Alicia had ten shots, only four of which got by Harry. Tucker seemed slightly pleased with himself when he landed, and was invited to stay on.

Harry groaned loudly when Fred called out the next name. Colin Creevey, grinning from ear to ear, stepped up and promptly tripped on his robes as he approached Fred. Katie and Alicia glanced at Harry, their mirth plainly evident on their faces.

As Harry had sort of expected, Colin didn't even make it past the third shot without banging into the goal post and knocking himself out. Harry shook his head at Fred so hard that he felt his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose.

"Virginia Weasley," Fred called out, a malicious grin on his face.

"I've told you not to call me that, Fredrick," Ginny retorted, her face turning the color of her hair.

"Virginia!"

"Fredrick!"

"Enough, you two!" Harry yelled down. "I haven't had anything to eat yet! Let's go!" Ginny and Fred stuck their tongues out at him, but Ginny mounted her broom and kicked off anyway.

Ginny managed to slip past Harry five times. George had been right: she had speed enough to beat him as a seeker, but the exhilaration on her face betrayed her love for being a chaser. She didn't appear to want to quit, either, when George blew his whistle to signal the end of the match.

The rest of the chasers were reasonably good, with the exception of Dennis Creevey. He panicked and lost control of his broom when he flew too fast towards Harry.

The third year, Noland Petershank, was nearly brutal in the way that he wielded the quaffle, and twice nearly hit Harry in the head. When the whistle blew, Harry flew over and said, "Come back next year for beater tryouts if you don't make it this year!" Fred and George may have been like "human bludgers" themselves, but this was their seventh year, and next year they would need to replace four spots instead of two.

At last, they were finished with the chasers. The students that they'd kept sitting on the side lines were Tucker, Ginny, and a second year named Natalie McDonald.

"Right," George said, handing the whistle to Fred, who took it gingerly and wiped it off on his robes. "We're going to take the keepers now. Gregorio Nicastro," he called, looking at the remaining four. Gregorio was a tall, thickly built seventh year with warm brown eyes and dark hair. He was quite obviously Italian, even without the mouthful of a name. Audry winked at him as he passed, and a slow blush crept up his neck.

"Don't tell me," Harry said, gliding down and landing on the ground near George. "I get to be a chaser now, right?"

"Correct," George said with a nod.

"Great," Harry said sarcastically. "Just great."

"Whatever you do, don't say, 'Why me?'!" Audry told him, winking at him as well.

"Why me?!" Harry asked the sky. He took to the air before Audry could slap the back of his head.

Gregorio was a decent keeper. He blocked the throws that even a two-year-old could have caught, but some of the more difficult ones, the ones that Katie and Alicia normally used, he missed.

"Audry," George called dully as Gregorio swooped down the ground again, looking pleased with himself. Audry tossed her head to get her hair out of her face, and then deftly did it up in a tight bun so fast that Harry barely saw the movements. He glanced at Katie and Alicia, and noted that they were nodding in approval.

Audry was even better than Gregorio, Harry noted with a grin. Even though she had had possibly the worst experience that anyone could have on a broom almost half an hour ago, she still ranked as one of the best keepers that Harry had ever seen, excluding the professionals.

Tucker tried out for the keeper position as well, but he wasn't as good as he had been for the chaser position. Harry wondered if he had been dared by one of the older boys in the house—or another house, for that matter—to try out.

The second year and the fourth year who tried out were both quite good, and Harry believed that they both had previous experience on a team.

Harry barely made it to the Entrance Hall after the tryouts were finally over. His stomach was rumbling so loudly that Audry kept breaking into fits of giggles. She escorted him into the Great Hall, and he wolfed down some food, watching Audry discuss something with Professor Dumbledore across the room.

"Good! You're here!" Alicia exclaimed as he entered the common room of Gryffindor Tower. "Fred wants to read out the new players now, but you and Audry were 'AWOL', as he said."

"I was _hungry_!" Harry explained sheepishly. "I was dragged from my empty dinner plate to the quidditch field before I had anything to eat!"

"Excuses, excuses," Katie said, clucking her tongue at him.

"Right. Now that everyone's here," George began, "I'd just like to say that you all did quite well. Our new keeper—may you do as well as Oliver did during his time at Hogwarts—is none other than our resident American: Audry!" A cheer went up as the American blushed heavily and ducked her head.

"Thank you, thank you!" she said bashfully, standing up from her armchair. "I don't know who this Oliver is, but I have heard from several people that he was a hottie!"

"Figures," Ron whispered to Harry with a grin.

"I hope that you guys aren't disappointed in me!" she ended, ginning so hard that it looked like her face hurt.

"I'm off to go congratulate her," Ron whispered and then did just that, meeting her as the crowd enveloped her.

"And now," George said after a few minutes, "the one you've all been waiting for! Our new chaser is…"

**A/N**: You may have noticed that I re-posted this chapter.  That is due to the fact that my wonderful beta-reader ~*waves to Nova*~ finally edited and sent this back to me, via e-mail.  The majority of the students who tried out came from my imagination, with the exception of Gregorio Nicastro.  He (I think) was an actual person, and one of my relatives.  As I always say, when in need of a character name, choose one from your family!  Or just choose a few and mix them up a bit…~*grins*~

Chapter Seven will be up sometime between today (8/20/02) and the first week of school (9/4-6/02).  Wow, I've been slacking…only one new chapter during the summer?  You guys put up with a lot…this is for you!!!

**WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:** The announcement of the chaser, a diary entry (or two or three), revelations in the plot, a pillow fight, a Hogsmede visit, and something that's not quite expected…~*evil grin*~


	7. Chapter Seven: Diary Entires

Chapter Seven-Diary Entries

"…Virginia Weasley!"  Harry watched Ginny's mouth drop open in shock as a roar of applause and cheering swept through the room.  Samantha Craigs burst into tears, while Natalie McDonald ran up to her dormitory, sobbing.  Tucker Glims looked suddenly quite steely, and he walked off into a dark corner with Samantha, where the two promptly began to talk.

Harry grinned and clapped as well, and then went over to talk to Ginny.  "Congrats, Gin," he told her in a whisper.  Ginny turned as red as her hair.

"Th-thanks," she stammered, not able to look him in the eyes.

"Excellent!" George roared, slapping his sister on the back so hard that she began to wheeze to gain back the air that had been blasted out of her lungs.  "Almost all of the Weasleys have been on the team, now!  Ron, what's the matter with you?!"

"Er…the position I wanted wasn't open?" he asked rather than stated.  Both Weasley twins shook their heads.

"Excuses, excuses," Fred tutted, waggling a finger at his youngest brother.

Lee Jordan came over, trailing a few of the sixth year girls, grinning from ear to ear.  "So, now that you've made the quidditch team, what are you going to do?" he asked happily.

"Beat the stuffing out of Fred!" she said, startling all but Harry, Fred, and George.

"Better start running, chap!" Ron said soberly, clapping his brother on the shoulder.

"I'll just bribe the kid," he countered with a shrug.

Harry felt an arm snake around his waist and looked over to see Hermione.  She had a sly grin on her face and led him into the back corner of the room near a large window.  A few feet away from the window was an overstuffed armchair that looked too small for the both of them, but they squeezed in anyway.

"Audry mentioned that you had a bit of…er, excitement on the field before you even started tryouts," she said softly, her index finger tracing the length of his upper arm.

Harry caught the hand that belonged to the finger and held it in his own.  "We were attacked," he said in a hushed voice, not wanting to alarm anyone.  The blood drained from Hermione's face and she suddenly looked very concerned.  Harry told her exactly what had happened, and attempted to recall what the person had said.  Hermione looked skeptical when he finished, so he gave her a sheepish grin.  "I know, I know," he whispered.  He supposed his breath must have tickled her ear, because she shivered.  "But there's one thing I don't get."

"What's that?" she asked.

Harry leaned in, almost closing what little space was left between them.  "'Gemini speaks for the congregation'.  Isn't Gemini a horoscope figure?  A-a…oh, what are they called…?"

"You're the one in Divination still," Hermione whispered; her breath was warm against his face.  For some reason, Harry had trouble concentrating after that.

"Gemini is the symbol for late May and early June.  It's also the sign of twins."

"Harry," Hermione said suddenly.  "Were Fred and George both out on the field at the—wait a minute.  What's another word for 'congregation'?"

"Er…" Harry racked his brain for a few minutes.  "A group?"

"And what's another word for 'team'?"

Harry caught the connection.  "So you think that that thing was referring to Fred and George?"

"I don't know.  Harry, what's the sign for July?"

"Cancer.  Why?"

"What's _your_ sign?"

"Oh.  Leo, I guess."  Harry caught the connection once more.  "But—I'm sure I wasn't the only one with a late July or early August birthday!"

"Well, who else was there at the time?"

"Katie and Alicia.  Oh, and Audry, of course."  Harry frowned.  "She seems to always be where there's trouble."

"I know another person like that as well," Hermione whispered huskily.  She closed the gap between him and he felt her lips brush his cheek.  "I'm going to bed now.  All this foolish thinking is making my head spin," she said, getting to her feet.

"Thinking?  Making _Hermione Granger's_ head spin?!"  Hermione threw him a look that was half anger, half humor, and maybe something more.

"Good night Harry."

"Sleep tight," he answered, getting up as well.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"If they do, grab a shoe and beat them till they're black and blue!" Audry said cheerfully, much too alert for eight-thirty on a Friday.  Harry yawned widely and Audry pouted.  "Oh.  I see."  She sniffed loudly.  "Nobody likes Audry's jokes anymore.  I'll be going now…"  She trailed off and slumped over.  Hermione snorted.

"Good night, you two," Harry said and headed towards the boys' dormitory.

Harry flopped onto his bed and stared at the material that was stretched across the top of his bed.  He turned his head and reached to take off his glasses when he noticed the book that Sirius had given him for his birthday, almost two months before.  Harry sat up and pulled it into his hands.  Realizing that he had never even opened it, he pushed up the beautiful red cover and flicked back a few pages until he reached the very first page.

Harry- 

I had a hard time coming up with something for your birthday this year.  I thought of all the things I could have given you, but for some reason a journal seemed like the best thing.  Don't forget to use a locking charm on it, or your private thoughts will be there for the world to read!

Sirius 

As soon as he finished reading the note, it began to fade slowly until there was nothing left.  Harry looked at the blank page for a few more moments, and then shut it and lunged for his trunk.  He rummaged around in it until he found the pen/quill that had come with it, and then crawled back to the journal.  Flicking the curtains shut around him and placing the candle that he had lit to see into his trunk on his pillow, he began to write.

_Friday, 23rd September 1996_

_It never even occurred to me to look at the first page of this journal until a few moments ago.  Sirius wrote a note there—I guess it's okay to say his name in here—which anyone could have read, if they just opened the book to the first page!_

            Harry chewed thoughtfully on the top of the pen and wondered what to write next.  Something sticking out from underneath the bottom of his pillow caught his eye, so he pulled it loose.  It was the picture of his and his sister's first birthday.  Lily Potter was holding him and making him wave.  Cassandra squirmed in James's arms and tried to get to the ground.

Dumbledore (actually, Sirius) told me that I had a sister a few days ago.  I didn't even realize it, even though I have pictures of my parents—and Cassandra as well, it seems.  Hermione managed to pull the whole story out of me, and then some.  She sure does have a way about doing that.

_Would you believe that I've been so dim not to figure out the simplest of things?  That I was different than anyone around me as a child; that I had a twin sister; that Hermione liked me.  The latter only came out into the open about a week ago.  At the ball.  She seems different now, more outgoing, and yet more shy.  Not even five minutes ago, we were sitting on the chair nearest to the portrait hole (the both of us, in _that_ tiny thing!), just talking.  I don't think I've ever had time alone with her before.  Aside from last year—_

            Harry felt anger slide into his stomach at the memory.

                                —when Ron and I had that row.

I've just remembered: a few mornings ago I had a really strange dream.  I was in this place—there's no way to explain it except weird; everything—and I mean everything—was like fire!  And just before I woke up, there was this woman calling my name.  The strange thing was that she looked just like Audry, except she didn't.  I think it might have been her mother, except that she had brown eyes.  Come to think of it, they looked a bit like Dad's do in all the color photographs I have of him.

Harry stifled a yawn by putting his hand over his mouth.

It's been a long week, and I should probably get some sleep now.

Oh, before I go: at tryouts this evening, Audry and I were attacked—well, sort of attacked.  A man wearing a cloak jumped off the north tower—with no broom!—and grabbed us both.  He said, "Gemini speaks for the congregation; Leo and Leona for truth.  Angles grace the skies above on items made of wood.  The lions will discover all, lest naught but lies remain.  So quoth the fiery bird."  Hermione and I discussed it, and she thinks it's a prophecy or something.  She'll probably go check in the library tomorrow to see if there's a book on it.  If there is, it would most likely be in the Restricted Section, anyway, so I don't know how she would get her hands on it.

Harry gently closed the book and after a thought, shoved it under his pillow.  He could ask someone (most likely Hermione) for a locking charm tomorrow.

After blowing out his candle and placing it on his nightstand, and without even removing his glasses, Harry sank back onto his pillow and sank into a deep sleep.

~*~

Harry couldn't remember the last time he had slept as well as he had the night before.  Even though he wasn't using a Dreamless Sleep potion, he had no dreams, and he still felt as though he were sleeping.  But, the inevitable always comes to be, and ever so slowly he came back to conscience.  He had the strangest feeling that he was being watched, so he carefully and slowly opened his left eye.  A big brownish-black blur was hanging over his head.  Being the cool, experienced teenager that he was, Harry grabbed the object by whatever was hanging over his head and yanked as hard as he could, rolling the opposite way at the same time.  A scream of pain erupted from where he had been laying seconds before, so Harry grabbed his glasses to see who his assailant was.  Audry sat up on his bed, clutching her ponytail with an irritated expression on her face.

"You didn't need to grab me, ya know," she said angrily, massaging her head.  "A simple, 'What the hell?!' would have sufficed!"

"If you didn't bend over me like that, I wouldn't have grabbed you!"

"How was I supposed to know that you were still asleep?!  It's almost ten!"

"How was I to know that you were bending over me?"

"Harry, what's going on?" Ron's voice croaked from the comfort of his own bed.  Harry could hear shuffling as he sat up, and then parted the curtains with one hand while rubbing his eyes with the other.  Harry grunted as Audry threw his pillow at him at it hit him in the head, knocking his glasses off so that they skittered out of sight.  Audry leaped off the bed and landed on Harry and began to smack his head repetitively with his pillow.

"Audry…geof!" Harry yelled, trying to defend himself by bringing up his arm and grabbing the pillow.  There was a great ripping sound, and feathers flew everywhere.

"Accio pillow!" Audry cried, pointing to Ron's pillow.

"Hey, that's mine!" he yelled, reaching for it to try and stop her.  He missed, and the empty husk that had once been Harry's pillow soon lay forgotten on the floor as a full-fledged pillow war began.

Feathers were floating around everywhere when Harry heard the door open and someone gasp.  "What is going o—aah!"  Audry/Ron's pillow sailed over Harry's head and hit whoever was standing in the doorway square in the face.  Harry and Ron turned around, pillows still in hand, and watched as Hermione pulled the pillow off of her head and looked around.

"Good morning," Harry said calmly, combing his right hand through his hair to dislodge a few feathers.  Audry sneezed suddenly, and a cloud of feathers floated up around her.  The corners of Hermione's lips twitched, and Harry swore that she was trembling with suppressed laughter.  And then she sank to her knees, doing something that Harry had never expected her to do: she was howling with laughter.  She pounded the floor with one of her fists as she laughed, tears of mirth splashing down her face.

"I didn't think it was that funny," Audry said with a shrug.  She glanced down at her clothes, then at the feathers everywhere, and then to Hermione, who was still laughing.

Harry fished around under Ron's bed for his glasses.  "We should get ready for the Hogsmede trip," he said.  His had closed around his glasses, and he pulled them out.

When the room came in to focus, he could see why Hermione was laughing.  There were feathers everywhere.  Ron was busily pulling feathers out of his hair, but several had settled behind his ears.  Audry wasn't even trying to dislodge the feathers; there were so many in her hair that she looked like someone had tried—and failed—to transfigure her into some kind of bird.

Hermione's laughter subsided, but she had a silly grin on her face.  "You have no idea how funny you three look, do you?"

Harry glanced at Audry, and noted the evil grin that appeared on her face.  He realized what she was thinking, and he grinned too.

With war cries loud enough to wake the dead—or at least the remaining sleepers in Gryffindor tower—they launched themselves at Hermione, arming themselves with pillows.

This battle was brief, but it ended with all four teens on the floor, laughing and covered in feathers.

"We look ridiculous," Harry and Audry said in unison.  The group began to laugh harder.

"What's going on?" a voice asked from the open door.  Harry looked up and saw Neville, followed by Ginny and Colin Creevey.  Colin lifted his camera and snapped a photo.

"Colin!" Ron groaned.

"I want a copy of dat," Audry said with a lopsided grin.

"Same here," Harry agreed.  He seemed to remember a picture of his father and his friends in the same predicament.

"The carriages leave for Hogsmede in fifteen minutes," Ginny said.  She glanced at her brother and raised her eyebrows.  "What have you been up to?"

"Having fun," Ron answered, shaking his head furiously and dislodging ten or so feathers.  "You should try it some time."

Ginny shook her head slightly.  "Hogsmede.  Fifteen minutes."

"Good point," Ron said.  Everyone out!"

"Oh, darn," Audry said mournfully.  "I was hoping fer another glimps of ye in yer boxers!"  Ron went as red as his hair when he didn't have feathers in it, while Harry laughed.

"Get out, please!" Ron repeated, trying to save himself from further embarrassment.  After the door snapped shut, he said, "That girl will be the death of me!"

"Have anything else that you want to add to what you thought of her after you met her on the train?"

"Yeah," Ron said energetically, raking his fingers through his hair again.  "Just when you think you know everything about her, she jumps out and surprises you!"

~*~

The trip to Hogsmede was relatively uneventful.  Audry bade the trio good-bye in the Entrance Hall, saying the orphanage she was to stay in during the breaks didn't' trust her enough to go into town.

Hermione ran off in the direction of the new bookstore that had been established over the summer the moment she stepped out of the horseless carriages.  With a slight laugh, Harry and Ron headed over to Zonko's to stock up on Dung Bombs and the like, and each bought a few of the joke shop's newest product that looked suspiciously familiar: Animal Creams.

After that, Harry walked over to the same store where he had bought Hermione's necklace.  The old man greeted him with a smile.

"Was that little girlfriend of yours happy with the necklace?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry said.  "She stays at Hogwarts over the holidays, except during the summer, so she doesn't get to see her parents often."

"Well, I'm glad that I was able to help you.  Now, what can I get for you today?"

"Nothing in particular, I'm just browsing."  The old man gave him another smile and nodded his head.

Harry glanced around the groaning shelves, picking up something of interest every now and again: a recording music box, complete with a dancing ballerina; assorted magical figurines, including a tiny niffler; and a magical radio, much like the one Mrs. Weasley had in her kitchen.

The bell on the door jangled as someone came in.

"Ah, welcome back!" the old man said.  "Can I get you anything, Mr. Creevey?"

Harry slowly walked between two shelves to hide from whichever Creevey it was.

"I need a picture developed, sir."  Harry knew it was Colin, since he had never seen Dennis walking around with a camera around his neck.

"I thought that you knew how to develop them."

"Yes, but I need it now, and I need a double print."

Why would he need it now? Harry thought.  And a double print?  It then occurred to him that it might be the picture that Colin had taken of Ron, Hermione, Audry, and him earlier that morning.

"Well, bring me your camera then, Mr. Creevey.  I'll see what I can do," the old man said.  Peering between a large book writing in an old (and probably forgotten) language and an unfolded map of Westminster, Harry watched Colin's camera exchange hands, and saw the old man tap the back of it with his wand.

"It was the last picture taken," Colin said helpfully.

Maybe not…? Harry thought, furrowing his brow.  I wonder how many other pictures he's taken today.

There was a loud clicking sound, and then something—two somethings—shot out of the side of the camera.  "Okay…ah, this boy was in here earlier!"  The old man tapped a point on the picture.  Harry winced, knowing that it was probably him.  "I wonder where he went."

"I just wanted the pictures right now to look at something," Colin told him.  The camera and the two pictures exchanged hands again, and Harry could see Colin peering closely at the picture.  Harry was so confused he almost walked out of his hiding place and peered over Colin's shoulder.  "…wrong shape…" Colin murmured.  Harry supposed that he hadn't heard correctly and edged forward a bit more, almost to the point that he was standing on the bottom shelf of the bookcase.

"Pardon me?" the old man said, sounding confused.

"Never mind.  It's nothing."  Harry heard the sound of coins clinking together and then shuffling feet.  The bell rang, and Harry emerged from his hiding spot behind the bookcase.  "Harry!"  Harry winced and turned sheepishly.  "There you are, Harry!"  Colin had spotted him.  "I have your pictures, Harry!  They turned out really good!"

"That's…er…" Harry stammered as Colin let the door shut and walked over to him.  "That's nice."

Colin gave one of the pictures to him, and then looked at the other one.  "Maybe I should just give you this one, too!" he squeaked.  "You could give it to Audry!"

"Er…sure."  The other photograph was soon in his hands and Colin was leaving through the door.

"Good-bye, Harry!"

Erg… Harry thought as he gave a very small wave.  He turned his attention down to the photos and was surprised to see that they were in color.  "These did turn out good," he said before he could stop himself.

"Is this 'Audry' your girlfriend?" the old man asked, a twinkle in his eye not unlike the one Dumbledore had most of the time.

Why does everyone keep asking that? Harry wondered idly as he shook his head.  "No.  Hermione is my girlfriend.  That's here, there."  He walked over to the counter and placed the picture on the glass, spinning around so that the old man could see it properly.  He pointed to Hermione, who had leaned against the Harry in the picture.  She was clutching her stomach and laughing very hard.

The old man smiled when he looked at the picture.  "Destroying school property, I see.  You know," the old man straightened suddenly.  "You look a great deal like a young man who used to come in here thirty years or so ago.  Do you know him?"

Even if Harry had been prepared for that comment, he believed that he still would have leapt back from the counter as if he'd been hit by lightning.  "Er…" once he calmed down, he looked at the floor.  "Yes," he said softly.  "He was my dad."

Before the old man could say anything more, the bell over the door jingled merrily and Harry heard rain hitting the ground outside as someone cam in.  "Harry!  There you are.  Hermione and I have been looking for you."  Harry dimly heard a the person yell, "Oi!  Hermione!  In here!"

"Can I get anything for you?" the old man asked, not unkindly.

Harry looked up, and he created a mental barrier between the pain and sadness that had surfaced in his mind.  The first thing that caught his eye was a wooden frame sitting on one of the top shelves behind the storekeeper.  It was made of a dark wood that he didn't know the name of, and something was carved in what appeared to be elegant writing all around the outside.  "Is that a picture frame?" he asked quietly, pointing up at it.  The old man turned and gently took it from its place on the shelf.

"You have very good taste, Mr. Potter," he said.  "This frame was made by magic, intended to be used for pictures of the family and friends that are closest to you.  The closer they are, the clearer the picture becomes to life.  The woman who sold this to me had a picture of her husband in it before he became a Death Eater."  The sparkle disappeared from his eyes.  "She said he used to practically leap from the frame every time she passed."  He paused for a moment, getting the look a salesman gets in his eye from time to time.  "Three Galleons and five Sickles."

"Three Galleons," Ron's voice said from the other side of the room.  He came over to stand beside Harry and, to Harry's amusement, looked the old man straight in the eye with a steely glint Harry had never seen before.

"Three and three."  The old man leaned forward.

"Two and seven."

"Three and three."

"Two."  Harry tried to stop from laughing.

"Three."

"Sold!  Give the man the money, Harry."

Harry looked at his friend in amazement and forked over three of the golden coins in his money pouch.  "What was that?" he asked, taking the picture frame and placing it in the inner pocket of his robes.

"What was what?" Ron asked simply, raking a hand through his wet hair.  It stood up at every-odd angle, and a few drops of water dripped off his nose to hit the floor.

"That."

"You mean, the bargaining?"  Ron's ears went a bit pink.  "I'm used to it.  Mum taught us how to deal with shopkeepers that we think are overpricing us when we were old enough to shop on our own.  She said it would save us money."

Harry shook his head in amazement.  The door opened (That bell is starting to get annoying, Harry thought) and Hermione came in, holding the hood of her cloak down over her hair.

"There you are!" she said, smiling at him.  Harry heard a low chuckle at the back of the room where the old man was standing.  He chose to ignore it.  "What do you say we go to the Three Broomsticks and get some Butterbeers?"

"I say, 'Good idea!'" Ron agreed, guiding his two friends by their upper arms to the door.  Harry turned just before the door snapped shut that the old man had a sad smile on his face.  He lifted a hand in farewell, and the door clanked shut, blocking Harry's view.

Not that Harry could see anything.

The rain was thunderous and fell in thick sheets, so his cloak did little but keep water off of the parts of his uniform that it was covering.  The cold was the worst part of it all.  Hermione's warm hand wormed its way into his own, and she gave him a small smile.  Harry smiled back and bent his head against the wind.

By the time they reached the pub, Harry couldn't feel his glasses on his nose.  He gladly entered the establishment and herded his friend towards the nearest table by a fireplace.  They sat there, their teeth chattering, their lips blue, until Madam Rosemerta came by with their drinks.  Harry laughed as Ron dove into his, swallowing half of it in the first gulp.  Hermione seemed content to sit there, her feet propped up near the grate, the drink warming her hand.

"Colin had that picture developed," Harry sad finally, after his Butterbeer began to warm him up.

"Really?" Hermione said, looking up.  Her lip and eyelids were still a bit blue, but the color was coming back into her cheeks, replacing the pale with a warm flush from the fire.  She held out her hand.  "Let's see!"

Harry dug into the inner pocket of his robes and pulled out the picture.  Hermione glanced at it and a smile curved the corner of her lips.

"We look silly," she said, looking up again.  As Ron stood up to get another Butterbeer, she caught Harry's eye and smiled again.  Harry grabbed her left hand from its spot on the table and held it in his own, running one of his fingers across her knuckle.  With his free hand, he took another sip of his drink.  Harry picked up the picture again and scooted closer to Hermione so they could both watch what the figures in the picture were doing.  Audry and Ron seemed to be having a contest out of who could poke the other the hardest in the shoulder, while Hermione and Harry were laughing, collapsed in a pile.

"This is what I like about wizard pictures," Harry said, pointing the four teens in the picture.  "Even though it takes a picture in one way, every time you pick it up, it's in another."

Hermione nodded in agreement.  "It was slightly creepy at first, but I got used to it," she said.  "Every time I go home for the summer, I keep expecting all our portraits and photos that are hung up around the house to move, and they don't."  She shivered and pulled her cloak tighter.  "It's like I don't belong there any more."

"I can't relate," Harry said with a grim smile.  "I never did belong with the Dursleys."

"Yes, but now you have Snuffles and Remus," Hermione reminded him.  "And you have had Ron and his family since our first year."

Harry nodded and drank some more of his Butterbeer, and Ron returned finally with a new tankard.

"It's starting to get late," Hermione said, glancing at her watch.  Harry leaned over her shoulder and saw that it was almost three o'clock.

"We should get ready to go back," he agreed.

Ron shrugged and drank his Butterbeer in three huge gulps, making Hermione laugh helplessly.

Unfortunately, by the time they reached Hogsmede Station, the point where they caught their rides back to Hogwarts, there was only one carriage left, and Harry felt that one carriage would be much too crowded for the fourth occupant: Draco Malfoy.  He sneered when they approached, since they were all drenched and mud-stained and he appeared to be pristine.

"Well, well, well.  What do we have here?" he drawled, flicking his blond-white hair out of his face with a negligent twitch of his hand.

Ron swore loudly.  "You always have to show up when you're not wanted, don't you?"

"Ron," Hermione started, holding up her hand to silence Malfoy's retort, "I don't know about you, but I'm cold, and wet, and I want to get back up to the castle.  Let's just put aside our differences for now—until we get back go Hogwarts.  I'm not asking for very much, Draco, Ron, so for heaven's sake, get in the carriage before I make you!"

Harry turned to Ron, who echoed hi, Harry's astonishment openly.  "Get in there, with him?!"

Hermione turned on the teen furiously.  "Just do it!" she shrieked, and before anyone could do anything else, she had pushed him into the carriage.  When he was halfway in, she grabbed Harry's arm and hauled him in after her.

Had Harry not been cold and in the company of one of his most hated adversaries, he would have found the situation quite humorous.  Ron and Malfoy had no choice but to sit next to each other, since Hermione and Harry had claimed the seat adjacent to Malfoy as soon as they had entered the carriage.  Ron and Malfoy, therefore, sat as far away from each other as possible, and Harry squished into the far corner and tried to ignore the look of loathing that Malfoy was shooting him.

"You know," Hermione whispered to him as they passed the farthest point of the lake from Hogwarts, "you should really try to get along with him, Harry."

"Why?" Harry hissed back.  "His father is a slave to the man—if you can even call him that—that killed my parents and sister.  For all we know, Lucius Malfoy's idea of a Christmas present is being initiated as a Death Eater."

"Give him the benefit of the doubt, Harry.  The only reason his is like this is because of who—and what—his parents are.  God only knows what would have happened if he lived under the Weasley roof for his childhood."  Harry grinned at the ridiculous vision of Malfoy standing among the Weasleys.

"Is the Mudblood whispering sweet-nothings into your ear, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.

Harry stood up and pulled out his wand.  "Say that again and I'll hex you into a million pieces," he growled.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.  "Go ahead.  I'll make sure to be at the ceremony when they strip you of your Prefect badge."

"Well, I'm not a Prefect."  Even though Ron's voice was quiet, it held a tone of threat and authority that Harry had never heard come from his best friend before.  "So if I hex you, the worst they could do was give me detention for a month."

Malfoy's face and ears went pink, but he said nothing, and turned his gaze out the window at the Forbidden Forest.  Hermione tugged on Harry's sleeve and he sat back down on the bench.  "I don't think you would have been able to hit him anyway, Harry," she whispered.  "The carriage is moving too much.  And besides, I asked you two to at least try to be civil.  Ron's trying."  Harry glanced at Ron and saw that Hermione was, once again, correct.  The youngest Weasley male was staring out the opposite window from Malfoy at the roiling lake.

"Ah, if only I had a camera," Harry whispered back, sighing wistfully.  "What a picture this would make."

~*~

Harry sat in the library on one of the uncomfortable benches that were on either side of the table where he was sitting with his brow furrowed in concentration; the newest assignment that Professor Sirs had given them involved researching three dark wizards aside from Grindelward and "You Know Who", and Harry was having trouble finding a third.  Hermione had managed to find six, but she wasn't sharing information, as usual, and told Harry quite plainly that he needed to look for himself instead of using her for a resource.

"You're not always going to have me to rely on," she told him over dinner.  "If you become an Auror, or something like one, you'll need to be able to find your own information."

"But all you do is look for clues, question people, and use curses and hexes to apprehend Death Eaters and people of the like," Ron argued, spearing a chicken wing on his fork.

Hermione went into her you-haven't-read-all-the-books-I-have-so-how-would-you-know speech, and Ron replied with a typical Ron answer: talking through a mouth full of mashed potatoes.  Harry knew that Hermione could give speeches until she was blue in the face and Ron would still insist that he knew more.

Harry turned the page of his encyclopedia of Famous Wizards and Their Accomplishments and found himself face to face with a very old picture of himself.  His eyes widened as he noticed how very young and vulnerable he looked with his overlarge clothing, messy hair, and too-big glasses that had tape around the bridge.  The only thing that made him rethink his previous thoughts was the look in his eyes.  The emerald green that was so unusual held no spark of happiness, nor sadness, or even anger.  No emotion showed in those eyes.

Am I the same now? he wondered.  Does everything roll off of me like water on a duck?

"Harry?" a voice called.  His head snapped around so fast that he heard a pop come from his neck.  Hermione had appeared to have just come around the nearest bookshelf to him.  In her arms were two books, one quite thick and one quite thin—A novel? Harry thought idly.  He didn't recall ever seeing Hermione reading for fun in the common room.

To the right of her nose was a smudge of ink, which made her look several years older than she really was, and her hair had been pulled back from her face, causing her cheekbones to stand out more.  Harry realized that even though she wasn't wearing an ounce of makeup, she still looked more beautiful than Audry, who he had never seen without at least eyeshadow and some sort of lipstick.  Harry realized suddenly that Hermione's cheeks had pinkened; she was blushing.

"Come here," Harry said, pulling out the chair beside him and patting it.  She did so and placed her books on the table, careful to keep the novel covered.

"Oh…" Hermione murmured, glancing down at the open encyclopedia.  Harry quickly shut it and looked innocently up at her.  "Well…"—she looked up as well and twisted a strand of her hair that had managed to become loose—"did you manage to find the last wizard?"

"No."  Harry glanced back down at the book.  Grinning, he looked up again.  "But if you would just—"

"Forget it, Harry," Hermione said sternly, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.  "I've already told you—"

"We need to learn how to look up things ourselves," Harry recited.

"So what I said wasn't falling on deaf ears."

"It never does," Harry told her.  "You can't apparate on Hogwarts grounds, anything that runs on batteries can't be used; there's too much magic, etcetera, etcetera."

"Well.  I definitely know what to get you for Christmas now," Hermione said.  When Harry sputtered, she laughed.  She leaned forward, so close to him that he could feel her warm breath on his cheek.  On a random surge of bravery, Harry closed the distance and aimed to kiss her cheek.  Hermione moved, and Harry found himself kissing her on the lips instead.  Awkwardly, Harry pulled back and blushed.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"I-it's okay," she said.  She had a strange awed note to her voice, and when Harry looked at her she was also blushing and tentatively touching her lips, as if they might fall off.

"Well…er…" Harry couldn't remember the last time he had felt as embarrassed as he was at the moment.

"Shut up, Harry," Hermione said, grinning slightly, and she leaned over and kissed him again.  Harry scooted closer to her and put his arms around her, kissing her back.  Hermione's lips moved under his and—

"What the hell is going on here?"

Harry and Hermione sprang apart from each other like startled rabbits.  Harry looked guiltily up at the person who had caught them and paled.  Ron Weasley, red with anger from the tips of his ears to where his neck disappeared into his shirt, glared back.


End file.
